The evolution of the Clyde region's shipbuilding innovation system in the second half of the nineteenth century

The paper analyses the dynamics of innovation and institutional change in Clyde shipbuilding. During the nineteenth century shipbuilding transformed into a modern high-tech industry, driven by emerging innovation systems in regions such as the Clyde. The paper, which is based on newly evaluated archive materials, identifies several overlapping channels of information exchange within the shipbuilders' network. From a dynamic perspective, it discloses changes in the pattern of individual and organizational behaviour. Moreover, it establishes the importance of ‘correctly’ mixing formal and informal institutions and describes the link between these institutions and the geographical size and evolution of the innovation system.