Examining the issues facing smaller regions and countries, John de la Mothe explores how innovation, strategy and interdependence shape their performance, competition, and futures. Innovation and interdependence are central elements of advanced and advancing economies. In our globalized world, the production of knowledge is continually evolving. This is reflected in the design of institutions and in the results on the standards of living that are achieved and sustained. It also implies new forms of competition. Increasingly, smaller countries, regions and cities that do not fit into traditional theories of growth are becoming leaders in technology-intensive products and quick followers in innovative practices. Often heavily committed to large emerging economic markets (such as China and India) and political hegemons (such as Germany, Japan, and the United States), smaller nations, regions and cities are playing an almost unprecedented role in the shape of things to come. By examining the texture of the new economy, paths to constructing advantage, and aspects of the cultures that lead to the new economy, this book provides a valuable and essential guide to scholars, policymakers, strategists and students.