Automation and the worldwide restructuring of the electronics industry: Strategic implications for developing countries

Governments in developing countries are placing a high priority on the development and expansion of an export-oriented electronics industry. Thus, the structural change and technological transformation currently being experienced throughout the world will have major implications for their success.Due to the oligopolistic nature of the internationalization process in this industry, the use of computerized and automation technologies in electronics manufacture is likely to penetrate into a very select group of Third World industrial growth poles in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. The extent and location of this penetration will be largely controlled by the OECD-based multinationals. Consequently, the expected positive developmental effects may be diminished and limited to those few growth poles. These new constraints must be understood by LDC governments in order for them to implement countervailing strategies.     

Ownership Structure and the Life-Cycle of the Firm: A Theory of the Decision to Go Public

This paper presents a theory of initial public offerings based on the ideathat the optimal ownership structure of a company changes over the life cycleof the firm. Insiders take the company public when they have lost thecomparative advantage over outsiders in gathering information to evaluate thefirm's growth prospects. The size of the share sold to the public depends onthe relative abilities of the market and insiders to gather this informationand on the frictions in the going-public process. Intermediaries help toreduce these frictions and lead to a more efficient allocation if IPOs areconducted more frequently. Discrimination between different classes ofinvestors may be beneficial. Learning by the market about projects in a newindustry can lead to a clustering of new issues (hot issue markets).     

Rezensionen

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Die demographische Zeitbombe an den Börsen: Das Beispiel Deutschland

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Uncertainty,risk of default and the savings-consumption decision

Conclusion The relationship between uncertainty and the optimal savings-consumption decision has been discussed. A simple model has been used to show that the existence of default risk has potentially important effects on the nature of this relationship and should not be neglected in its analysis.     

THE COSTS AND BENEFITS OF AGROFORESTRY TO FARMERS

Deforestation, growing scarcity of tree products, and environmentaldegradation have created serious problems for rural land usein many developing countries. Agroforestry, a system in whichwoody perennials are grown on the same land as agriculturalcrops or livestock, has been increasingly enlisted in the campaignto meet these threats to the rural economy. Case studies of twenty-one agroforestry projects in six CentralAmerican and two Caribbean countries formed the empricial basisfor the study described in this article. A focal point of analysiswas the profitability of agroforestry for farmers as a crucialincentive to adoption. The findings indicate that many agroforestry practices are profitableunder a broad range of conditions and are therefore likely tobe widely applicable. Successful projects have worked with localcommunities, responding to local needs and preferences and offeringfarmers a broad basket of species and systems from which tochoose. Demonstration plots and the use of paratechnicians havebeen low-cost and effective means of technology transfer, andapplied research has been important in identifying techniquesand practices suited to the region. Other findings have identifiedgovernment regulation of tree harvesting and insecurity of tenure—thoughnot lack of title in itself—as disincentives to adoption.      

Corporate taxation and the quality of research and development

This paper examines the impact of tax incentives on corporate research and development (R&D) activity. R&D tax incentives are commonly provided as special tax allowances or tax credits. In recent years, several countries also reduced their income tax rates on R&D output with the purpose to foster R&D activity. Previous papers have shown that all three tax instruments are effective in raising the quantity of R&D related activity. We in turn assess the impact of corporate tax incentives on the quality of R&D projects, i.e., their innovativeness and earnings potential. Using rich data on corporate patent applications to the European patent office, we find that a low tax rate on patent income raises the average profitability and innovation level of the projects undertaken in a country. The effect is statistically significant and economically relevant and prevails in a number of sensitivity checks. Generous R&D tax credits and tax allowances are in contrast found to exert a negative impact on project quality.