Exploring the influence of regulation on the innovation process

Abstract

The influence of regulation on the innovation process in the financial services industry is at present an area that is understudied. The Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg provides an interesting case study because it was the first to quickly and effectively transpose a major EU directive for financial services, namely the Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities (UCITS) directive. Additionally, no prior study was done on the mechanisms which facilitated a faster innovation process in Luxembourg’s financial services industry. The interplay between the government, professional associations and private actors was studied. A positive influence of this interplay on the implementation of the UCITS directive was found, offering a better understanding of the mechanism of externally induced innovation. The obtained results provide interesting new venues of research and indicate the importance of reputation and the existing mechanisms of relational embeddedness to enhance the innovation process in Luxembourg’s financial services industry.