Innovation as politics: The rise and reshaping of innovation in UK parliamentary discourse 1960-2005

This paper offers a systematic analysis of the use of the term 'innovation' in policy discourse over a forty-five year period. Innovation has increased in usage in the academic and policy analyst communities, but we know little of politicians' use of the word and its changing meanings. The paper argues that language is important in diffusing ideas and embedding ideologies. By analysing words co-located with innovation in Hansard, the UK's parliamentary record, both the stable and the changing uses of the word over the decades are examined. Considering the results in the light of 'stylised facts' in innovation policy studies reveals that use of the term innovation has increased over the period studied. It has entered a wide variety of policy domains and it has been used in an increasingly positive tone. It has been associated with both drivers and barriers to innovation, with greater emphasis on government as the driver of innovation, despite oscillations between the public and private sectors over the period. The implications of a broadening of the meaning of innovation are discussed, and the paper considers whether increasing usage of the term reflects growing familiarity with the 'Systems of Innovation' approach among policy makers.