Through careful investigation into the role of eco-innovation as a catalysing factor in the societal transition towards sustainability, this Handbook proposes more appropriate measures of innovation as a driver of change. It examines innovation from various perspectives, including labour, trade, the circular economy and energy, to illustrate a more comprehensive picture of its impacts. Chapters by leading authors from the sectors of eco-innovation, sustainability transformations and green and circular economies provide a meticulously balanced observation of innovation at local, regional, national and global scales. By featuring case studies from across Australasia, Europe and Latin America, as well as empirical work and modelling exercises, this forward-thinking Handbook links innovation to a range of interconnected topics. It imparts new evidence to offer a succinct conclusion about the potential success of certain innovation and green industrial policies. This enlightening Handbook will be valuable for scholars and academics studying economics and management, economic and social innovation, and environmental policy. It will also be of great benefit for those analysing policy and industry professionals looking to learn more about eco-innovation.

The analysis of the interactions between natural resource scarcity, technological innovation and the dynamics of eco- nomic systems has a long-standing tradition in economics. During the 1980s and the early 1990s, a new phase of these interactions initiated under the effects of technological revolution and the problem of the environment. The general concept behind this book is that the issue of natural resou- cesand the environment in relation to economic growth can- not be addressed without due consideration for the effects of technological innovation on thedynamics of economic sy- stems. Technological innovation alone, however, is not a sufficient condition for the sustainability of economic growth. Policies may have a role in solving the internatio- nal distribution problems generated by the non-converging development path of developed and developing countries. In particular, the new international order shaped by the events of the 1980s, made it possible for world management to ad- dress the problems of poverty and the environment.

Italian industrial districts (IDs) recently attracted international attention because their performance during the last few decades contradicted the alleged weakness of industrial structures based on SMEs in "traditional" sectors. The book analyses some developments taking place in Italian IDs and local systems of production that can represent a new stage of evolution for the backbone of the Italian economy. Based on the extensive use of original databases three main trajectories of change in IDs are presented. The first trajectory is the increasing role of "groups" of manufacturing SMEs arising from mergers and acquisitions as well as spin-off growth processes at the "family firms" level. The second one is the consolidation of innovation capabilities in IDs. And the third one is the internationalisation process of Italian IDs through both trade and foreign direct investment. The essays suggest that Italian IDs are again evolving by coherent adaptations which will have, however, uncertain outcomes.