A Comparative Analysis of Responsible Innovation Governance: Mapping Policy Instruments - across the BRICS Spectrum

European Economic Letters

Abstract The Responsible Innovation Governance (RIG) focuses mainly on Western-centric context creating a gap in understanding its application across diverse political economies. This study compares Responsible Innovation (RI) governance across BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) and studies how each country’s governance style affect and impact RI policy tools. To study we have developed and used multi-level analytical framework to map key RI principles such as anticipation, reflexivity, inclusion, responsiveness, and deliberation with Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) policies. The study also examined how these policies are interacting with contextual moderators and the impact on outcomes. The study results clearly found the differences across the BRICS: Brazil and India use networked based economic systems with broad, but uneven integration of RI; China and Russia with state led economic system focus on anticipation and responsiveness but missed reflexivity and inclusion; South Africa uses market based approach. The study found that there is no single model for RI governance. Our study results suggest that our multi level analytical RIG model does not fit all, and an individual governance framework should be adopted for each country’s institutions. Keywords: Responsible Innovation (RI), Innovation Governance, BRICS, Comparative Policy Analysis, Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Policy, Governance Indicators