In defense of the linear model

The presentation discusses the strength and weaknesses of the so-called linear model (LM) of innovation. It is a reaction to the habit of criticising it as over simplistic, mechanistic, or simply blatantly wrong. I argue that, while some criticisms are of course well grounded, many others are instead based on loose interpretations and unwarranted assumptions.

I first present a description of the linear model and differentiates it from the caricature many refer to. Second, I discuss the main criticisms put forward and argue that many of them are not at all destructive, but can be easily accepted within a refined version of the LM. Third, I discuss the policy implications often derived (or said to derive) from the LM to argue that the LM itself is distinctively policy-neutral. Other assumptions have to be added to justify alternative policy implications.