The influence of the regional context on firms’ innovation patterns: evidence from Ecuador*

ABSTRACT

Using data from the Ecuadorean Innovation Survey of 2015, this paper identifies the innovation patterns that can be found in Ecuador. In addition, we analyse the influence of the regional innovation systems in determining these patterns. The results show that there are six differentiated patterns of innovation, although they all are related to the adoption and imitation of technologies. Finally, we observe that different regional characteristics condition the way in which firms organise innovation.     

Collaboration and innovation: An empirical study of Indian technological enterprises

In 2010, the Indian government declared 2010–2020 to be the ‘Decade of Innovation’ and established the State Innovation Councils and Sectoral Innovation Councils to encourage and facilitate innovation by technological firms. In this paper, we study the relationship between collaboration and innovation in a cross‐section of Indian firms, paying particular attention to the impact of the innovation councils. Our results suggest that domestic collaborations have an important impact on firm innovation, as do the innovation councils, but that the impact of the councils is less for firms that collaborate.     

The evolution and use of a policy and research tool: assessing the technological capabilities of firms

Firms differ widely in their technological capabilities. Innovation policies are likely to be more or less successful depending upon the level of such abilities of those firms to which a policy is aimed. Without data on the proficiencies, strengths and weaknesses of firms within the target group(s), the construction and application of innovation or industrial policies are likely to miss salient factors in the ability of firms to benefit from the support that is intended. An in-depth knowledge of firms’ capabilities can allow policy-makers to target support according to the specific needs of firms. This paper describes the Technology capability audit tool (or CAT) that was designed to assist policy-makers in differentiating between firms and in understanding their level of ‘innovation readiness’. Examples of the use of the CAT are presented from South Korea, Thailand, Ireland, Brazil and the UK.     

An exercise in composite indicators construction: Assessing the sustainability of Italian regions

This paper presents a piece of research aimed at evaluating the relative sustainability of the Italian Regions. After selecting a core set of indicators, for which we referred to the EU Sustainable Development Strategy, we built a composite index and checked for its robustness. As a result we got ‘many numbers’, that is, a range of possible rankings for Italian Regions.     

The need for new theoretical conceptualizations on National Systems of Innovation,based on the experience of Latin America

ABSTRACT

The peripheral condition of Latin America has changed but persists in spite of a long decade of favorable economic conditions and heterodox policies. A renewed conceptualization of underdevelopment and of Innovation Systems is needed. Here it is connected with Sustainable Human Development, with the dynamics of power and with the transformative change framework. The ‘triangle paper’ is a main guide. Special attention is given to innovation heuristics forged in the South. If combined with advanced knowledge and high qualifications, they may contribute worldwide to the urgent transitions to less inequality and higher sustainability. Some elements for a related research agenda are sketched.     

Rule of Law and the Resource Curse: Abundance Versus Intensity

We examine the ‘resource curse’ using new data on historic resource stocks and an improved econometric methodology. The paper distinguishes between resource abundance (stocks) and extractive intensity (flows), focusing on relationships between resources and rule of law. Previously unavailable information on past resource stocks is estimated. We find that economically large initial natural resource stocks are associated with subsequent lower levels of rule of law and do not directly affect growth, while raw resource exports do not have a significant effect on rule of law when stocks are included in the analysis but do affect average growth rates. Sample size is maximized through the use of an EMis (expectation maximization with importance sampling) algorithm to replace missing data, minimizing the bias and inefficiency associated with listwise deletion, which commonly eliminates half or more of the available data in this setting. An earlier version of this work appeared as part of my doctoral dissertation in economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Thanks are due to my dissertation committee: Robert T. Deacon, Stephen J. DeCanio and Carol McAusland; as well as Okan Kavuncu, Henning Bohn, Kelly Bedard, Olivier Deschennes, Doug Steigerwald and numerous seminar participants as well as two anonymous referees.     

Measuring intensity of technological change: The seismic approach

The abundance of typologies, within the economics of innovation, has resulted in the same name being used for different innovation types and the same innovation being classified under different typologies. The present research introduces the Scale of Innovation Intensity (SIIN) based on metataxonomy that subsumes other, less comprehensive taxonomies. The SIIN is similar to the seismic Mercalli's scale used to measure the intensity of earthquakes. The impact of technological change is measured by an indicator, called magnitude, based on the impact of technological innovations on the economic system. The theory is applied to some product and process innovations such as agricultural mechanization, aircraft technology, muffler catalytic, aluminum processing, etc. The results show that some innovations have a higher technological intensity and energy (economic impact) on well-being than others. Some concluding remarks are discussed in the final part of this research.     

On the nature,function and composition of technological systems

This paper suggests that the economic growth of countries reflects their developmental potential which, in turn, is a function of the technological systems in which various economic agents participate. The boundaries of technological systems may or may not coincide with national borders and may vary from one techno-industrial area to another. The central features of technological systems are economic competence (the ability to develop and exploit new business opportunities), clustering of resources, and institutional infrastructure. A technological system is defined as a dynamic network of agents interacting in a specific economic/industrial area under a particular institutional infrastructure and involved in the generation, diffusion, and utilization of technology. Technological systems are defined in terms of knowledge/competence flows rather than flows of ordinary goods and services. In the presence of an entrepreneur and sufficient critical mass, such networks can be transformed into development blocks, i.e. synergistic clusters of firms and technologies which give rise to new business opportunities.     

军民融合国防科技创新体系中企业的地位与作用

阐述了企业在军民融合国防科技创新体系中应当具有的地位和作用,从研发投入、对外依存度、自主创新能力、具有核心技术的主导产业规模等方面,对现有国防科技创新体系中企业的创新主体作用进行了考察和评价,分析其主体作用尚未充分发挥的原因,并提出了应对措施。     

“厅地协同创新”的模式研究

“厅地协同创新”能够提供特定条件下探究培育技术创新的政策路径,有助于推动产学研合作和技术联盟升级、丰富区域经济社会发展路径,有利于创新型人才的培养和成长。“厅地协同创新”的模式对推动协同创新的演进和提升协同创新的实施效果具有重要作用。文章首先从“区域协同创新”的作用出发重点介绍了“区域协同创新”的构建模式;其次在构建模式过程中发现该模式国内外各有不同,国外协同创新的模式有：协议合作方式、立法合作方式、会议合作方式,国内“厅地协同创新”的模式有：协议合作模式、设立开发基金模式、中介模式、会议模式等;最后,研究得出这些模式对协同创新的演进和丰富协同创新的内容具有重要作用。     

金砖四国国家创新体系存在的问题比较

对金砖四国国家创新体系存在的问题进行梳理与比较,研究发现:一方面,金砖四国国家创新体系存在过分偏重于创新的研发和技术因素,以及各种创新政策缺乏有效融合的共性问题;另一方面,金砖四国国家创新体系都因缺乏某种根植性而存在各自的个性问题。只有从本国特定的经济社会条件和全面发展的视角来考虑本国的创新政策,才有可能构建一个高效的国家创新体系。     

Technological paradigms,patterns of learning and development: An introductory roadmap

This paper presents an evolutionary microeconomic theory of innovation and production and discusses its implications for development theory. Using the notions of technological paradigm and trajectory, it develops an alternative view of firm behavior and learning. It is shown then how these are embedded in broader national systems of innovation which account for persistent differences in technological cappacities between countries. Finally, this bottom-up evolutionary analysis is linked with an institutional top-down approach, and the potential fruitfulness of this dialogue is demonstrated.We thank the discussants and participants at the workshop on Technology and Competitiveness in Developing Countries, Venice, 26/11/93, for their useful comments.The research leading to this work has benefited at various stages from the support of the Italian National Research Council (CNR, Progetto Strategico Combiamento Technologico e Crescita Economica) and of the International Institute of Applied System Analysis (IIASA, Austria).     

Establishment and embedding of innovation brokers at different innovation system levels: Insights from the Dutch agricultural sector

In the systems perspective on innovation, co-operation between several different types of actors is seen as key to successful innovation. Due to the existence of several gaps that hinder such effective co-operation, the scientific and policy literature persistently points at the need for intermediary organizations to fulfill bridging and brokerage roles. This paper aims to provide an overview of the insights from the literature on such ‘innovation brokers’, and to contribute to the literature by distilling lines of enquiry and providing insights on one of the lines identified. Taking as an empirical basis experiences with different types of innovation brokers that have emerged in the Dutch agricultural sector, it identifies a number of tensions with regard to the establishment and embedding of such organizations. The paper indicates that, despite being perceived to have a catalyzing effect on innovation, innovation brokers have difficulty in becoming embedded as their clients and/or financiers find it difficult to grasp the nature and value of their activities.     

美国国家创新体系构成特点分析

美国作为全球头号经济强国,在技术创新与研发方面长期保持着世界领先的优势地位,形成了自己独特的创新体系。通过介绍美国国家创新体系的形成过程,分析了其特点,主要有:以企业为主体,由市场驱动;广纳全球创新人才;联邦政府发挥关键作用;引进民间资本参与;严格研发经费管理;与整体经济发展密切相关。美国国家创新体系在未来发展中,将进一步解决创新源泉和传播机制的问题,国防研发将继续发挥火车头的作用,创新能力将会继续居世界领先地位,当然,也面临诸多挑战,如,削减研发经费,研发成本越来越高,创新能力明显下降等。借鉴美国的经验,我国在创新体系建设中,应鼓励创新的减免税收优惠政策法规对所有企业一视同仁,加大对国防研发和基础研究的投入,统筹人才培养与引进政策等。     

少数民族特色产业创新与发展的对策建议

少数民族地区经济是国民经济的重要组成部分,少数民族经济发展与否,直接关系到社会主义建设事业的成败。我国实现少数民族地区经济和少数民族特色经济的共同发展,是我国少数民族经济学科研究的一个具有重要现实意义的课题。研究少数民族特色产业创新与发展的对策建议,从国家层面上讲,应该制定和适时调整相应的政策、法规,从财政、税收、金融等方面加强对少数民族特色产业创新的支持;从地方政府层面讲,也应制定和修改相应政策、规定,并强化行政管理,为少数民族特色产业提供更多的优惠政策和资金支持;从企业层面讲,应加强制度管理,增强企业自身的竞争力,适应市场经济,做大做强少数民族特色产业。     

Collective knowledge production costs and the dynamics of technological systems

Technological knowledge can be understood as a collective good only when its production requires the absorption and integration of external knowledge. Such external knowledge is the outcome of R&D investments that cannot be fully appropriated by firms and generate spillovers. The exploitation of such knowledge spillovers requires specific investments in knowledge communication and absorption, which brings about specific costs. These costs are affected by the structural and dynamic characteristics of technological systems in terms of the knowledge base, the variety of actors and the communication infrastructures and processes. This paper analyzes the costs of collective knowledge production and their implications for the way in which the firm chooses the mix of internal and external knowledge. This choice in turn shapes the evolution of technological systems.     

Firm persistence in technological innovation: the relevance of organizational innovation

Organizational innovation favors technological innovation, but does it also influence persistence in technological innovation? This paper empirically investigates the pattern of technological innovation persistence and tests the potential impact of organizational innovation using firm-level data from three waves of French Community Innovation Surveys. The evidence indicates a positive effect of organizational innovation on persistence in technological innovation, according to the various measures of organizational innovation. Moreover, this impact is more significant for complex innovators, i.e. those who innovate in both products and processes. The results highlight the complexity of managing organizational practices with regard to the technological innovation of firms. They also add to understanding of the drivers of innovation persistence through the focus on an often forgotten dimension of innovation in a broader sense.