Utilizing conjoint analysis to design modern crop varieties: empirical example for groundnut in Niger

Preferences for monetary and non-monetary plant traits influence modern crop variety adoption decisions of farmers. To enhance adoption probability of modem crop varieties, it is necessary to identify and locus research on traits that significantly contribute to utility while de-emphasizing insignificant plant attributes. This paper illustrates the potential for applying conjoint analysis to aid the design and targeting of client-responsive modern crop varieties, farmers ranked eight orthogonally-derived plant trail combinations used in an illustrative example. Utilities were estimated using the choice-probability-based method of ordered probit. Results showed that conjoint analysis can differentiate significant and non-significant trails of modern crop varieties. The usefulness of applying conjoint analysis over identifiable disaggregated groups of a sample was also evident. Future application of conjoint analysis to the design and targeting of modern crop varieties should carefully consider sample composition and size to permit the estimation of relevant sub-models for desired farmer segments.     

Network ties and entrepreneurial orientation: Innovative performance of SMEs in a developing country

This study investigates the role of intra-cluster ties, extra-cluster ties, and entrepreneurial orientation in shaping firms’ innovative performance. We conduct our analysis on a primary data set of 120 small and medium enterprises located in the Cibaduyut footwear-manufacturing cluster, Indonesia. We explore the effectiveness of knowledge acquisition through intra-cluster ties and extra-cluster ties on innovative performance. We find that extra-cluster ties mediate the relationship between proactiveness and innovative performance. Also, a combination of high extra-cluster ties and risk taking exert a positive impact on innovative performance. Surprisingly, we find that risk taking negatively moderates the influence of intra-cluster ties on innovative performance. Over-reliance on within-cluster knowledge sharing may result in the diffusion of redundant knowledge rather than making new knowledge available to the firm. Overall, our findings point to the synergistic effects of entrepreneurial orientation and extra-cluster ties on innovative performance.     

Late Industrialization and Structural Change: Indonesia, 1975–2000

This paper examines economic growth and structural change in Indonesia during the period 1975–2000 using an input–output-based structural change decomposition method. The analysis focuses on the sources and pattern of growth during three phases of economic development: the inward-oriented phase from 1975 to 1985; the outward-oriented phase from 1985 to 1995; and the recent phase of crisis and recovery from 1995 to 2000. Growth during the first phase, although impressive, was moderate in comparison with the export-led manufacturing-driven growth during the second phase. During both these phases, the Indonesian economy witnessed significant structural changes, especially within manufacturing. However, the dynamics underlying growth and structural change showed important differences. Although growth under the first two policy regimes was assisted by favourable economic circumstances, selective industrial policies may also have played a significant role. The results suggest that the long neglect of the technological foundations and human capital base of the economy could be holding back recovery and sustained growth in the present phase.     

International Knowledge Spillovers to Developing Countries: The Case of Indonesia

The successful industrialization and catch up of countries in the East Asian region gave rise to an important debate concerning the role played by technological learning and knowledge creation. This paper seeks to examine this issue for Indonesia, a second‐tier newly industrializing country. It focuses on the relative importance of learning from imported inputs vis‐à‐vis other factors influencing productivity in manufacturing. The concept of learning is operationalized drawing on the literature on technology spillovers on the one hand, and the literature on catch up à la Abramovitz, on the other. Our results indicate that knowledge spillovers have become significant contributors to labor productivity growth after the liberalization of the Indonesian economy.     

A tourism demand function for the Okanagan,BC

This study examines the relative importance of the existing determinants of tourism demand in the Okanagan. Because national coefficients cannot be used intercnageable with regional coefficients, it is hypothesized that the values of the Okanagan demand elasticities are likely to be lower than that of the Province and the nation. Five major markets for Okanagan tourism with identified and separate regressions run to determine the relative importance of the determinants of demand for Okanagan tourism with respect to these markets. Empirical results indicate that national coefficient will tend to overestimate the regional coefficient values. Contrary to the results of other studies for the nation as a whole, the exchange rate and travel cost did not seem to be significant determinants of Okanagan tourism receipts.     

Productivity gains,technology spillovers and trade: Indonesian manufacturing, 1980-96

The importance of R&D spillovers for productivity growth has been well documented in the literature. While studies in the developed country context have focused extensively on sectoral linkages, research on North-South spillovers has largely been confined to the aggregate level. This paper assesses the contribution of international R&D spillovers to manufacturing performance in Indonesia at the sectoral level. Drawing on OECD and Indonesian data sources, we consider two distinct phases: a phase characterised by intense policy regulation (1980-87), followed by a phase of liberalisation and reform (1988-96). Our results indicate that international technology spillovers made a significant contribution to the performance of Indonesian manufacturing, especially after liberalisation. The contribution of technology spillovers to productivity change is influenced by sectoral characteristics and industrial market structure.     

Factors influencing adoption of land-enhancing technology in the Sahel: lessons from a case study in Niger

Technical change, through the introduction of land-enhancing conservation technologies, is essential to economic growth in the Sahel. Tobit analysis was used to identify factors that motivate level and intensity of adoption of specific soil and water management technologies. The results show that higher percentage of degraded farmland, extension education, lower risk aversion, and the availability of short-term profits are important for increasing the adoption and intensity of use of improved ‘tassa’ and half-crescent shaped earthen mounds. Age and attitudes to differential gains between farm and non-farm income showed no influence on adoption. Three main policy implications emerge from these findings. First, technologies should be targeted to locations that have large percentages ol degraded farmlands. The probability of adoption and intensity of use are likely to be high at such locations. Second, there is the need to provide extension education that demonstrates risk reduction capacities of conservation techniques. I his will make available information capable of stimulating adoption of land-enhancing technologies. Finally, policy-makers should not seek to target innovations to younger farmers because age has no relationship to adoption of the improved ‘tassa’ and half-crescent shaped earthen mounds. Lessons from the case study have broad relevance to cropped areas in the Sahel.     

Technology alliances in emerging economies: persistence and interrelation in European firms' alliance formation

We analyse the patterns and determinants of technology alliance formation with partner firms from emerging economies with a focus on European firms' alliance strategies. We examine to what extent European firms' alliance formation with partners based in emerging economies is persistent – that is, to what extent prior collaborative experience determines new alliance formation – and we compare this pattern with alliance formation with developed country partners. Second, we examine to what extent prior engagement in international alliances with partners from developed countries increases the propensity to form technology alliances with partners based in emerging economies, and vice versa (interrelation). We find that both persistence and interrelation effects are present, and that they are generally not weaker for emerging economy alliances. Alliance formation with Indian and Chinese firms is significantly more likely if firms have prior alliance experience with Japanese firms. The findings suggest that building on their prior international alliance experience firms extend their alliance portfolios across both developed and emerging economies, increasing the geographical diversity of their alliance portfolios.     

Corporate venture capital (CVC) investments and technological performance: Geographic diversity and the interplay with technology alliances

Firms are increasingly operating portfolios of geographically dispersed CVC investments for accessing a variety of location-specific knowledge, often alongside traditional external knowledge-sourcing strategies such as technology alliances. We examine the conditions under which geographic diversity in corporate venture capital (CVC) investments has positive consequences for firms' technological performance in the context of simultaneously pursued technology alliance strategies. We find that geographic diversity in CVC portfolios enhances performance as long as firms avoid knowledge redundancy in knowledge-sourcing arising from geographic overlaps with technology alliances, and the managerial complexity, coordination costs, and resource constraints stemming from the simultaneous pursuit of diversity in both technology alliances and CVC investments. Our inferences draw on a panel data set on the patents, CVC investments, and technology alliances of 55 CVC-active firms in a variety of industries.