Using the Triple Helix model of university–industry–government relations,
one can measure the extent to which innovation has become systemic instead of
assuming the existence of national (or regional) systems of innovations on a priori
grounds. Systemness of innovation patterns, however, can be expected to remain in
transition because of integrating and differentiating forces. Integration among the
functions of wealth creation, knowledge production, and normative control takes place
at the interfaces in organizations, while exchanges on the market, scholarly
communication in knowledge production, and political discourse tend to differentiate
globally. The neo-institutional and the neo-evolutionary versions of the Triple Helix
model enable us to capture this tension reflexively. Empirical studies inform us whether
more than three helices are needed for the explanation. The Triple Helix indicator can be
extended algorithmically, for example, with local–global as a fourth dimension or, more
generally, to an N-tuple of helices