Why Brazil does not innovate: a comparison among nations

In this paper, we analyze the relevance of innovation concerning the emergence of important changes in the society. In order to verify which are the most relevant factors when it comes to the allocation of countries in an innovation ranking (Global Innovation Index), we accomplished a quantitative study, in which the procedure of multiple linear regression was used. The sample of our study comprised 33 countries and the analysis of the theoretical framework was carried out conducive to the creation of six independent variables. As a result, the variables “GDP per capita”, “Public expenditures on R&D”, “Exports of high-tech goods”, “Public expenditures on education”, “Number of large companies” and “Number of patents” are in descending order the ones most related to the innovation level reached by some countries. The only variable negatively correlated to innovation is the number of patents registered in a determined country; in other words, one may conclude that patents are not the most relevant indicator linked with the development of innovation. We also emphasize the role played by the government when providing a favorable institutional environment in order to encourage and support innovation.