Lex localis - Journal of Local Self-Government_11(1)_January

L EX LOCALIS - J OURNAL OF L OCAL S ELF -G OVERNMENT Vol. 15, No. 3, pp. 647 - 668, July 2017 Does Decentralized Governance Lead to Less Scientific Output? A Fuzzy Set Analysis of Fiscal Decentralization and Determinants of National Innovation Capacity B LAŽ Z UPAN , A LEŠ P USTOVRH & S TANKA S ETNIKAR C ANKAR 1 Abstract This paper argues that national innovation infrastructure is closely linked with the scientific output and that some other factors, such as decentralized governance, can in certain combinations with innovation infrastructure lead to a higher scientific output. It demonstrates this by using a set-theoretic fsQCA method to analyze the data on national innovation capacities, fiscal decentralization, and science policy output. Results confirm that while a national innovation infrastructure is a necessary condition for successful scientific output, decentralization in certain, but not all cases leads to successful scientific output and that the paths to a successful scientific output in different countries are diverse. Keywords: • national innovation systems • QCA • innovation policy • fiscal decentralization C ORRESPONDENCE A DDRESS : Blaž Zupan, Ph.D., Assistant, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Economics, Kardeljeva ploščad 17, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia, email: blaz.zupan@ef.uni-lj.si . Aleš Pustovrh, Ph.D., Assistant, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Economics, Kardeljeva ploščad 17, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia, email: ales.pustovrh@ef.uni-lj.si . Stanka Setnikar Cankar, Ph.D., Professor, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Administration, Gosarjeva ulica 5, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia, email: stanka.setnikar-cankar@fu.uni-lj.si . https://doi.org/10.4335/15.3.647-668 (2017) ISSN 1581-5374 Print/1855-363X Online © 2017 Lex localis Available online at http://journal.lex-localis.press.