Impact Of Innovative Environment On Economic Growth: An Examination Of State Per Capita GDP And Personal Income

Abstract

This study investigates how the overall innovative environment will affect the economic growth of a place, in particular, a state. Using the Innovation Index and its component indexes as a measure of the innovative environment prevailing in the states, it is found that the more innovative a state is, the higher its per capita real GDP and per capita personal income are. These relations are statistically significant. The higher per capita personal income is associated with both the availability of human capital for innovative activities and the presence of the economic dynamics that facilitate those activities. At the same time, the higher per capita real GDP has been brought about by the availability of such human capital only.