Coevolution of subsystems of society, innovation systems, and development: Chris Freeman and the Latin-American structuralists

Abstract Chris Freeman proposes a reasoned history approach to economic change based on the analysis of the evolution of a set of subsystems of society. These (semi) autonomous but interdependent subsystems transcend the arenas of the economy and technology, and their coevolution is essential to understand how innovation systems evolve. The proposed framework provides a different lens on how to analyse the development process. The Latin-American structuralism built a theory of development that connect industrialization, income distribution, and the role for the State. Industrialization requires increasingly knowledge and technology, and this requires technological capabilities. This article examines Freeman’s approach to National Innovation Systems based on a set of coevolving subsystems that shape the process of economic growth and explore the connexion between these ideas and the postulates of the Latin-American structuralism thought on development. By doing this, the analysis situate Freeman’s contributions in the context of developing countries.