Why do some countries produce more inventions and ideas than others? Is innovation driven by scientific elites or unsung artisans? Is there a link between innovation and democracy? The Innovative Society provides fresh answers to these questions. Distinguishing between what he calls “blue-collar” and “white-collar” innovation, Dr. Kalafus provides a unique analysis of practical and theoretical innovations, and describes how science and technology eventually interacted to promote prosperity.

What were the two greatest innovations of the ancient Greeks?  Did the breakup of the Roman Empire really hold back innovation in Europe?  Did the Catholic Church really suppress innovation in the Middle Ages? Did ground-breaking innovations transform societies, or did societal and political changes create an atmosphere for innovation to flourish? Given the large number of inventions in China, why didn’t the explosion of inventions of the 19th and 20th centuries take place there?

The answers may surprise you.

The author analyzes previous attempts at identifying the conditions in societies that encourage or discourage innovation, and develops a readily understandable list of five essential factors. Four of them are a synthesis of ideas cited by historians, while the fifth was not fully recognized up to now.  Collectively, these five conditions can be used to accurately identify which societies were innovative, and which were not.  These same criteria are applicable today to countries, regions, governments, businesses and other organizations.

This book is written with a minimum of jargon, and is sprinkled with many examples of innovations and innovators.  Dr. Kalafus draws on decades of experience with creative people from all over the world to bring us a very readable book that provides valuable insights into the world of the thinkers, inventors, and tinkerers that greatly influenced the world we live in today.