The Different Approaches to the Study of Innovation in Services in Europe and the USA

Innovation in services is a hot topic since the 1990s, but little attention has been paid until today to the applied side of this research field. In this work we consider the features of two fundamental, large-scale, innovation surveys: the European CIS and the American SIRD/BRDIS. Innovation surveys are the main tool through which innovation data are gathered, and these data become more and more important to test theories and to provide ground for innovation policy. Once the characteristics of both surveys have been identified, we carry on with our analysis in two ways. First, we match the surveys with the theories; second we provide a comparison between the two surveys. The different paths undertaken by the European scholars on the one hand, and the American scholars on the other, are explicitly indicated.