The Innovation Index

  Can innovation be measured? And even if it could (or can), is there really anything companies can do to encourage or impede it? Or, for that matter, as Bloomberg attempts to do, what about governments? Are all of their efforts and policy prescriptions and legislative arabesques simply so much public relations, intended to suggest what they wish they could do as opposed to what they can actually do?

Bloomberg reports:

The point of this list isn't to award bragging rights to one country over another—it's to see whether a broad formula for innovation can in fact be identified, and what companies, and governments, need to do to reproduce it.
Billionaire venture capitalist Jim Breyer is heading to the Swiss Alps this year with an upbeat message. "This is a magical time," says Breyer, founder and CEO of Breyer Capital and a partner at Accel Partners. "Innovation is happening in centers of excellence around the world faster than ever before." His optimism contrasts with the trouble-ahead warnings that business and government leaders will hear this week at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Japan and Europe are expected to grow only about 1 percent this year, and one-time dynamos like Brazil, China, and Russia are losing speed.
The best antidote to stagnation is innovation, the creation of products and services that make life better—whether it's air conditioning, vaccines, or text messaging. Every country wants to foster a culture of innovation, but it's not easy to do. "I've had dozens of meetings over the years with leaders from around the world who asked how they can build their own Silicon Valley," says Breyer. "It never works." He has his own theory about what does work, though it's not exactly scientific: There's a magic. There's a love for entrepreneurship and experimentation that must be there.
Bloomberg's 2015 ranking of the world's 50 most innovative countries takes a more prosaic approach to the question, focusing on six tangible activities that contribute to innovation. South Korea tops this year's overall ranking. The U.S. places sixth, and China 22nd. Morocco finishes last. You can click here to go straight to the full results, http://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2015-innovative-countries/ 

The point of this list isn't to award bragging rights to one country over another—it's to see whether a broad formula for innovation can in fact be identified, and what companies, and governments, need to do to reproduce it.