HUNGARY AND THE NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES' INNOVATION POSITION BASED ON EUROPEAN DATA

With the present study I wanted to achieve three goals. Based on the secondary analysis carried out in summer 2009 - of the data of the "European Innovation Scoreboard" between 2000 and 2008 I wanted to point out the importance of social capital, which among others has a significant role in establishing the networks necessary to the development of innovation. After that I wished to present a method. With this method the changes of many years in the relative position of each country can be demonstrated despite the annually modified indicators. And finally with the help of this method I wished to define the position of Hungary and the neighbouring countries on a relative European innovation plane.