The concept of entropy in scientometrics and innovation research

Abstract

The concept of entropy well-know in information theory and thermodynamics is applied in the fields of scientometrics and innovation research in order to introduce an indicator for the institutional involvement in of the location of research and development. By means of this concept four applications in the fields of research and national technology policy, industrial technology management, and innovation research are outlined. First, the national institutional structures in telecommunications research and development in Japan are compared to those of the Netherlands. It is concluded that the institutional involvement is not always more random in a larger country but rather depends on the disaggregation into fields and subfields. Secondly, broad versus narrow national technology strategies in the so-called “high technologies” are compared for various OECD and COMECON countries. Thirdly, corporate R & D strategies of Japanese telecommunication companies are studied. Fourthly, for selected R & D-intensive technologies it is shown that with the progress of time the involvement of industrial branches in a new technology fluctuates. The four analyses are based either on bibliometric or on patent data. The usefulness of the concept of entropy in scientometrics and innovation research is assessed through these examples.