Benoît Godin (2016), Innovation and Imitation: Why is Imitation not Innovation?, Project on the Intellectual History of Innovation, paper no. 25, Montréal: INRS.
Abstract
Innovation theorists relegate to non-existence a series of concepts outside of the semantic field of innovation. Such is the case of imitation. This paper looks at when, how and why imitation, as an early meaning of innovation, was removed from the discourses on innovation. The paper suggests that cultural values, disciplinary work, market ideology and semantics are key factors in explaining the neglect of imitation in discourses on innovation, particularly theories.