Innovation and Industry 4.0 as a part of small state diplomacy

Jan Masaryk Centre for International Studies, Faculty of International Relations, University of Economics, Prague, W. Churchill Sq. 4, 130 67, Prague 3, Czech Republic

^* Corresponding author: jana.peterkova@vse.cz

Abstract

Innovation and Industry 4.0 are topical issues in the era of globalization in many countries around the world. The article focuses on the international practice of small states and the role of innovation as a topic of their foreign policy and diplomacy. The article aims to evaluate the position of the innovation theme in the portfolio of typical issues of diplomatic practice. The aim is to find out to what extent the attention is paid to innovation concerning the country’s economic diplomacy and what the prospects for further development are. In the first part, the text will focus on the theoretical definition of the theme of innovation and its anchoring in the diplomacy of small states. The second part introduces the situation from the practice of small states in a broader perspective and brings examples of successful integration of the innovation theme into the strategic plans of small states. The third part maps the contemporary trends and the presence of innovation diplomacy in Czech practice. Attention will be paid mainly to the national level, both from a strategic and instrumental point of view. Using a comparison of successful examples from abroad with the current situation in Czechia, it is possible to identify critical elements that can contribute to a better understanding of the topic by contemporary Czech practice.