AbstractThis article presents a disaggregated approach to understanding innovation policy governance. It first develops a conceptual framework for differentiating innovation policy domains in terms of the complexity of governance problems and for describing governance approaches and outcomes. The article then advances a theoretical explanation of divergent governance patterns by granting causal primacy to the interplay between government structures and interactive arrangements. It contends that these socio‐political institutions interact differently to structure the resolution of governance problems and thus generate divergent patterns of innovation policy governance. The article illustrates the empirical relevance of its theoretical framework and explanation through a comparative analysis of innovation policy governance in four East Asian economies.