Technological Innovation Drivers in Rural Small Food Industries in Iran

The first step in devising the best incentives to support innovation is to investigate factors that affect the development of innovations. This article contributes to exploring such factors in small food industries in the rural areas of Tehran province, Iran. Using a census sampling method, 111 managers of 60 active firms were interviewed. The results showed that in general the level of technological innovation is low in the studied firms. The managers do not find the technological changes successful in bringing benefit to their firms. Even though correlation analysis indicated a complex association matrix between independent variables, only the firm's capacity of production was associated with technological innovation as a dependent variable. Furthermore, the regression analysis revealed that factors which influence technological innovation are the firm's age, formal research and development, fixed capital, and capacity of production. The results of this study were used to derive practical suggestions for managers and policymakers to increase technological innovation in the studied industry.     

Putting ‘merchants of debt’ in their place: the political economy of retail banking and credit-based financialisation in Germany

Why did household debt in Germany not increase after the year 2000? This article offers a supply-side explanation for this deviant debt trajectory by tracing the historical evolution of retail banking in the German political economy. It argues that at the end of the 1990s and in the light of European Monetary Union, profitability issues and banking fragmentation became severe enough to interrupt the path towards credit-based financialisation as prevalent among other capitalist economies. These factors interacted with a traditional lack of tools and incentives for rapid credit expansion, even though they were renegotiated in the processes of financial liberalisation, internationalisation and innovation. By employing historical-qualitative as well as statistical evidence for the argument, the paper’s contribution becomes twofold. First, it introduces and conceptualises retail banking as a focal point in the analysis of national financial systems and their transformation. Second, it complicates the standard accounts of German non-financialisation and reveals the ‘contested’ character of financial reform.     

On the causes of increasing world poverty and inequality,or why the Matthew effect prevails

The purpose of this article is to analyse one of the very first European-level instances of trade union and social movement interaction in defence of the public sector, namely, the Coalition for Green and Social Procurement, an alliance of European trade unions and green and social non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and its campaign for an amendment of the new public procurement directives from 2000 to 2003. It will be examined to what extent this campaign was able to change the directives and counter neoliberal restructuring effectively as well as what the possibilities but also limits of trade union and social movement cooperation are as exemplified in this particular case study.     

Russian Competitiveness in the Global Economy

Abstract

Using data on Russia's competitiveness collected by our research team as part of the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report (GCR), literature on competitiveness, in particular Michael Porter's theories on economic development and competitiveness, and benchmarking data from the global competitiveness project for other countries, this paper analyzes Russia's comparative strengths in its macro and microeconomic competitiveness. We investigate Russia's movement in ranks over a three-year period, discussing Russia's strengths in its macroeconomic climate and the weaknesses of its institutions. We illustrate the effects of these on three-key growth industries in Russia: oil, IT outsourcing, and the food sector.     

Host country’s environmental uncertainty,technological capability,and foreign market entry mode: Evidence from high-end equipment manufacturing MNEs in emerging markets

The paper investigates the impact of the host country’s environmental uncertainty on the choice of entry mode and also discusses the moderating role of technological heterogeneity in this relationship. Based on the resource-based view and institutional theory framework, we first analyze the investment motivation of emerging industries in emerging markets and evaluate the environmental uncertainty from two dimensions, including the institutional environment (country level) and industry environment (market level). Then, the theoretical predictions are empirically tested using 173 overseas investment events in China’s high-end equipment sector from 2010-2018. Our findings suggest that when the uncertainty of the industry environment is low, no matter how uncertain is the institutional environment, most firms tend to choose a cooperative strategy. Once the industry environment indicators become turbulent, a high degree of institutional environment uncertainty causes firms to evade trade barriers by choosing a new plant. Alternatively, choosing a relatively conservative mode, such as export. Meanwhile, technological capability weakens the influence of environmental uncertainty on entry mode.     

Reforming the Taxation of Multijurisdictional Enterprises in Europe

In 2001, the European Commission proposed replacing the currentsystem of taxation of multinational companies by the taxationof a consolidated base, computed at the level of all the Europeanentities of a multinational enterprise, and then distributedfor taxation purposes among the various jurisdictions in whichthese entities operate, according to pre-established criteria.In this article, we propose a discussion, especially focusingon two related issues, the choice of the formula and the compositionof the consolidating area—either the entire European Union(EU) or some Member States within an Enhanced Cooperation Agreement—,as well as on their impact on the size and distribution of taxrevenue and economic activity, and on the intensity of tax competition.Our tentative policy conclusion is that the reform deservessupport provided that (i) the formula puts emphasis on criteriathat the firm may not too easily manipulate, (ii) the activitiesof the multijurisdictional enterprise are enough mobile, (iii)the consolidation is made compulsory within the consolidatingarea and (iv) the consolidating area protects its capacity toactually levy tax by adopting a crediting system vis-à-visthe rest of the world. (JEL code: H32, H73, H87)     

西部地区发展特色优势产业的优劣势分析

国务院曾多次强调"西部地区要大力发展特色优势产业,以增强自我发展能力".其发展过程中面临一系列的内外部条件,用优劣势分析(SWOT)方法对发展特色优势产业所面临的优势、劣势、机遇及挑战进行分析.进一步明确西部地区特色优势产业的重点领域和地区布局,促进比较优势转变为竞争优势,为西部地区经济发展发挥积极作用.     

基于生命周期的西部特色优势产业自主创新模式选择研究

本文首先在国内最新研究综述的基础上,阐述了模仿创新、集成创新和原始创新三种技术创新模式的内涵与特征;然后结合产业周期理论,通过分析特色优势产业在生命周期各阶段的不同特点,对应自主创新模式的不同要求,提出特色优势产业应选择的创新主导模式,为特色优势产业创新模式的选择提供科学依据;最后根据西部特色优势产业的整体状况,建议其自主创新应选择以模仿创新为主的混合型创新模式。     

战略型新兴产业评价模型构建及实例分析

战略型新兴产业已成为国家经济复兴的一剂良药,它必将改变经济增长轨迹和产业格局。文章界定了战略型新兴产业的内涵,概括了战略型新兴产业的特征;结合钻石理论,由产业资源潜力、产业联动效应、产业竞争能力、产业需求能力及外部影响因素——政府和机会等六大指标入手,构建了战略型新兴产业评价指标体系,形成了以产业贡献力和产业成长力为纵横坐标的三维空间评价模型;以江苏省镇江市为例,对新能源、新材料、电子信息、航空制造和海洋工程等五大战略型新兴产业的发展状况进行评价。评价结果初步发现,电子信息和新材料产业方面的既有优势明显,可成为该市未来发展的支柱性产业;新能源、海洋工程和航空制造产业发展状况乐观,在大力培育和扶持之下,会有明显的积蓄优势。