Download or read book Globalization and Technology Absorption in Europe and Central Asia written by Itzhak Goldberg and published by World Bank Working Papers. This book was released on 2008 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Innovation and cross-border absorption of knowledge are central forces behind economic convergence and sustained growth. Absorption of technology is considered a necessary step to promote the development of human capital and the productive base, paving the way for innovations at the global knowledge frontier. Research and development, patents, trade, and foreign direct investment are major channels of technological absorption, allowing diffusion of new ideas and manufacturing best practices among countries and firms. These channels constitute the central focus of this study. This study uses patent databases, surveys of enterprises, and case studies to investigate how the presence of specific channels of absorption molds decision making about technology. Trade and FDI flows show considerable promise as catalysts for the region to upgrade its technology and near the global technology frontier. Econometric analysis using enterprise surveys from all Europe and Central Asia countries helps us understand the conditions and policies that induce firms to incorporate external knowledge and technology into their overall growth strategies. We find evidence of learning by exporting, underscoring the importance of trade as a driver of absorption. A case study of several manufacturing firms in Serbia complements this perspective, providing a detailed picture of the positive dynamics that are produced by FDI, particularly in terms of investment and risk-taking incentives that are critical for technology absorption. Examination of patent citations shows that cross-border knowledge flows remain weak. Consequently, science and innovation policies should foster greater integration of the region's substantial science and engineering resources with those of the rest of the world. These policies should encourage international collaboration and closer connection between the region's public sector R&D and global private sector efforts.

Download or read book Globalization and Technology Absorption in Europe and Central Asia written by and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2008 with total page 150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Innovation and cross-border absorption of knowledge are central forces behind economic convergence and sustained growth. Absorption of technology is a necessary step to promote the development of human capital and the productive base, paving the way for innovations at the global knowledge frontier. Research and development, patents, trade, and foreign direct investment are major channels of technological absorption, allowing diffusion of new ideas and manufacturing best practices among countries and firms. These channels constitute the central focus of this study. This study uses patent databases, surveys of enterprises, and case studies to investigate how specific channels of absorption molds decision making about technology. Trade and FDI flows show considerable promise as catalysts for the region to upgrade its technology and near the global technology frontier. Econometric analysis using enterprise surveys from all Europe and Central Asia countries helps to understand the conditions and policies that induce firms to incorporate external knowledge and technology into their overall growth strategies.

Download or read book Igniting Innovation written by Itzhak Goldberg and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2011-09-22 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Innovation and technology absorption are now firmly recognized as one of the main sources of economic growth for emerging and advanced economies alike. International R&D collaboration and FDI are critical and require government support programs, specially financial ones.

Download or read book Fostering Technology Absorption in Southern African Enterprises written by The World Bank and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2011-09-16 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While economic theory considers technological progress to be a key factor for sustained long-term economic growth and job creation, technology absorption is particularly an important driver for 'catch-up growth.' This study seeks to identify channels of technology transfer and absorption for Southern African enterprises, constraints to greater technology absorption, and discuss policy options open to governments and the private sector in light of relevant international experience. It has been done based on sector and enterprise case studies carried in four countries: South Africa, Mauritius, Lesotho and Namibia. This study uses a combination of econometric and in depth case study analyses to investigate the presence of specific channels of absorption and the various constraints that the firms face to effectively absorb this technology. There is evidence of learning by exporting, and spillovers from FDI underscoring the importance of trade and FDI as important channels of absorption. The study finds that four countries while open to trade and FDI face a number of constraints that inhibit them from maximizing the economic benefits from technology absorption. These constraints include a major skills mismatch, insufficient research and development and ineffective industry-research linkages. While outlining broad policy directions in four areas namely increasing skills supply, fostering learning through trade, increasing domestic spillovers from FDI and incentivizing greater firm level research and development, it lays out some priority areas for each of the four countries. We hope that the issues discussed and the dialogue initiated during the course of this study would lend itself to policy design to foster technology absorption with a view to higher growth and job creation in this highly globalized world.

Download or read book Golden Aging written by Maurizio Bussolo and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2015-06-23 with total page 363 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Societies across Europe and Central Asia are aging, but people are not necessarily living longer. This demographic trend-caused by a decrease in fertility rather than improved longevity-presents both challenges and opportunities for governments, the private sector, and individuals alike. Some of the challenges are well known. Output per capita becomes smaller if it is shared with an increasingly larger group of dependent older people. At a certain point, there may not be sufficient resources to maintain the living standards of this older group, especially if rising expenditures on health care, long-term care, and pensions must be financed through the contributions and taxes paid by ever-smaller younger age groups. Working adults also contribute the most to the pool of savings. As the size of this group shrinks, savings will decline. But these challenges can be transformed into opportunities. Consider these examples: As longevity increases, workers tend to stay in the workforce longer, and, with the right incentives, they will increase their savings. Many current workers, and perhaps even more in the future, will thus not necessarily become dependent once they turn 65. And with slower population growth and smaller young age groups, societies will have an opportunity to improve the quality of education and maintain productivity. Firms in some countries are already adapting by capitalizing on skills that appreciate with age. Cardiovascular diseases account for more than half the difference in life expectancy (above age 50) between the region and Western Europe for men and 75 percent of the corresponding difference for women. Healthier behavior and health systems focused on preventive care could, with no cost increase, dramatically reduce this risk. These opportunities are not to be missed. As populations age, public discourse ranges from concerns about economic decline and fiscal sustainability of pensions and health systems to optimism about opportunities for healthier and more productive aging. The main contribution of Golden Aging is perhaps to show that demography and its consequences are not fixed. Much will depend on how people, firms, and societies adapt and how policy makers and institutions facilitate their behavioral adjustments. The future for Europe and Central Asia does not have to be gray-it can be a golden era of healthy, active, and prosperous aging.

Download or read book World Development Report 2010 written by World Bank and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2009-11-06 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the crowded field of climate change reports, 'WDR 2010' uniquely: emphasizes development; takes an integrated look at adaptation and mitigation; highlights opportunities in the changing competitive landscape; and proposes policy solutions grounded in analytic work and in the context of the political economy of reform.

Download or read book Harnessing Quality for Global Competitiveness in Eastern Europe and Central Asia written by Jean-Louis Racine and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2011-05-05 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Standards are everywhere, yet go mostly unnoticed. They define how products, processes, and people interact, assessing these entities’ features and performance and signaling their level of quality and reliability. They can convey important benefits to trade, productivity, and technological progress and play an important role in the health and safety of individual consumers and the environment. Firms’ ability to produce competitive products depends on the availability of adequate quality-support services. A “national quality infrastructure” denotes the chain of public and private services (standardization, metrology, inspection, testing, certification, and accreditation) needed to ascertain that products and services introduced in the marketplace meet defined requirements, whether demanded by authorities or by consumers. In much of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, national quality infrastructure systems are underdeveloped and not harmonized with those of their trading partners. This imbalance increases trade costs, hinders local firms’ competitiveness, and weakens overall export performance. The objective of Harnessing Quality for Global Competitiveness in Eastern Europe and Central Asia is to highlight the need to reform and modernize the institutions in the region toward better quality and standards. The book ties in with much of the work done in the World Bank on the business environment, trade facilitation, economic diversification, and enterprise innovation. The countries in the region can improve this situation, revising mandatory standards, streamlining technical regulations, and harmonizing their national quality infrastructure with those of regional and international trade partners. Most governments will need to invest strategically in their national quality infrastructure, including pooling services with neighboring countries and stimulating local awareness and demand for quality. Specifically for the countries of the former Soviet Union, the restructuring process will need to improve governance, thus eliminating conflicts of interest and providing technically credible services to the economy.

Download or read book Challenges for European Innovation Policy written by Slavo Radosevic and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2011-01-01 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book uniquely applies the Schumpeterian innovation policy perspective to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). A broadly defined framework of the science, technology, innovation and growth system underpins the empirical and conceptual analysis of the critical issues including demand, FDI, finance and education. Specifically, the expert contributors address the (in)capacity of CEE to play a more significant role in the knowledge-based competitiveness of the EU. They question whether it is possible to bolster this capacity with innovationtechnology- industry-specific policies, and discuss the changes required at EU and individual country levels to remove sector- and industry-specific obstacles to greater competitiveness based on innovation. Policies are analysed from the perspective of growth, and the conclusions drawn are relevant to education, the labour market and competition policy. This highly original, explicit and systematic study will prove an illuminating read for academics, researchers, students and policy makers focusing on a range of areas including economics, heterodox economics, European studies, technology and innovation.

Download or read book The Great Recession and Developing Countries written by Mustapha K. Nabli and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2010-12-03 with total page 662 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book provides one of the most detailed and comprehensive reviews of the growth experience of a group of low and middle income countries before and during the global crisis. It then explores their growth prospects after the recovery and how they may be shaped by the new global economic environment.

Download or read book Domestic Violence in Postcommunist States written by Katalin Fábián and published by Indiana University Press. This book was released on 2010-07-16 with total page 385 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Domestic violence has emerged as a significant public policy issue of transnational character and mobilization in the postcommunist era in Europe and Eurasia, as global forces have interacted with the agendas of governments, local and international women's groups, and human rights activists. The result of extensive collaboration among scholars and activist-practitioners -- many from postcommunist countries -- this volume examines the development of state policies, changes in public perceptions, and the interaction of national and international politics.

Download or read book Foreign Direct Investment Inflows Into the South East European Media Market written by Zvezdan Vukanović and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-07-25 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers a strategic analysis of current and future perspectives of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows into the South East European media market. The author develops a hybrid FDI business model strategy to guide media companies wishing to more effectively position and leverage their media infrastructure within the increasingly globalized and expanding media market. By conducting sixteen comparative and exploratory case studies of the South East European media market, the author explores how specific microeconomic factors influence spillover effects, absorption capacities and investment incentives between local and foreign firms through FDI inflows. The book is directed towards researchers and students, as well as practitioners/professionals involved with media organizations.

Download or read book The Economics of Knowledge Innovation and Systemic Technology Policy written by Francesco Crespi and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-05-15 with total page 467 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There is wide consensus on the importance of knowledge for economic growth and local development patterns. This book proposes a view of knowledge as a collective, systemic and evolutionary process that enables agents and social systems to overcome the challenges of the limits to growth. It brings together new conceptual and empirical contributions, analysing the relationship between demand and supply factors and the rate and direction of technological change. It also examines the different elements that compose innovation systems. The Economics of Knowledge, Innovation and Systemic Technology Policy provides the background for the development of an integrated framework for the analysis of systemic policy instruments and their mutual interaction the socio-political and economic conditions of the surrounding environment. These aspects have long been neglected in innovation policy, as policymakers, academics and the business community, have mostly emphasized the benefits of supply side strategies. However, a better understanding of innovation policies grafted on a complexity-based approach calls for the appreciation of the mutual interactions between both supply and demand aspects, and it is likely to improve the actual design of policy measures. This book will help readers to understand the foundations and working of demand-driven innovation policies by stressing the importance of compent and smart demand.

Download or read book The Changing Frontier written by Adam B. Jaffe and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2015-08-24 with total page 441 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1945, Vannevar Bush, founder of Raytheon and one-time engineering dean at MIT, delivered a report to the president of the United States that argued for the importance of public support for science, and the importance of science for the future of the nation. The report, Science: The Endless Frontier, set America on a path toward strong and well-funded institutions of science, creating an intellectual architecture that still defines scientific endeavor today. In The Changing Frontier, Adam B. Jaffe and Benjamin Jones bring together a group of prominent scholars to consider the changes in science and innovation in the ensuing decades. The contributors take on such topics as changes in the organization of scientific research, the geography of innovation, modes of entrepreneurship, and the structure of research institutions and linkages between science and innovation. An important analysis of where science stands today, The Changing Frontier will be invaluable to practitioners and policy makers alike.

Download or read book Innovation in the Asia Pacific written by Thomas Clarke and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-10-20 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book promotes the creation of advanced knowledge-based economies driven by innovation networks and the continuous development of human capital and capability. It provides valuable insights into the growing emergence of knowledge-based industries of the Asia Pacific, and highlights research on: modes of creativity and innovation; intellectual property; the components of national innovation systems such as firms, education and training; knowledge and technical infrastructure; and public policy. The Asia Pacific region is currently in the process of transforming from being the manufacturing centre of the global economy to a centre of innovation for the knowledge economy, with the successful IPO of Alibaba in 2014 being a prime example of this shift. From a neo-Schumpeterian perspective, the region is increasingly engaged in shortening and intensifying cycles of innovation. The historic agreement at the Beijing APEC meeting between China and the US to radically reduce carbon emissions indicates that one imperative of this innovation is to contribute to sustainability. The fact that the US Government is moving away from this historic commitment, while the Chinese Government is endorsing the commitment, indicates an emerging opportunity for Asia to lead the world technologically in a vital industrial sector of the future.

Download or read book Handbook of Sociology of Aging written by Richard A. Settersten, Jr. and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2011-05-11 with total page 682 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Handbook of Sociology of Aging is the most comprehensive, engaging, and up-to-date treatment of developments within the field over the past 30 years. The volume represents an indispensable source of the freshest and highest standard scholarship for scholars, policy makers, and aging professionals alike. The Handbook of Sociology of Aging contains 45 far-reaching chapters, authored by nearly 80 of the most renowned experts, on the most pressing topics related to aging today. With its recurring attention to the social forces that shape human aging, and the social consequences and policy implications of it, the contents will be of interest to everyone who cares about what aging means for individuals, families, and societies. The chapters of the Handbook of Sociology of Aging illustrate the field’s extraordinary breadth and depth, which has never before been represented in a single volume. Its contributions address topics that range from foundational matters, such as classic and contemporary theories and methods, to topics of longstanding and emergent interest, such as social diversity and inequalities, social relationships, social institutions, economies and governments, social vulnerabilities, public health, and care arrangements. The volume closes with a set of personal essays by senior scholars who share their experiences and hopes for the field, and an essay by the editors that provides a roadmap for the decade ahead. The Handbook of Sociology of Aging showcases the very best that sociology has to offer the study of human aging.

Download or read book Fostering Entrepreneurship in Armenia written by Smita Kuriakose and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2013-09-27 with total page 109 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Job creation and productivity growth are at the forefront of the global development agenda. The central challenge today for the government of Armenia is to find new sources of long-term economic growth to become an upper middle-income country, with a view to experiencing a substantial transformation of its economic structure to one that is resilient to external shocks in the medium term. A dynamic and vibrant private sector is thus crucial to Armenia s economic growth, with firms making new investments, creating jobs, improving productivity, and promoting growth. Entrepreneurial activity is pivotal to the continued dynamism of the private sector, with the generation of new businesses fostering competition and economic growth. This study seeks to identify determinants of high-growth entrepreneurial activity. The stusy uses data from the new 2012 World Bank Entrepreneurship Survey conducted to gauge new firm growth in the formal sector in Armenia and data from World Bank Enterprise Surveys to analyze innovative activity in existing firms. It includes detailed case study analyses to complement these findings. The study finds that while there is a higher level of entrepreneurial activity in Armenia when compared to its neighbor Georgia, however there remain a number of constraints that inhibit the growth of entrepreneurial and innovative activity. These constraints include a major skills mismatch, ineffective industry-research linkages and a lack of access to risk capital. While outlining broad policy directions in areas namely improving business environment, access to finance, developing skills, incentivizing greater industry- research collaboration, and raising awareness it lays out some priority areas that the government could embark on. The government could remove bottlenecks from the general business environment that impede able entrepreneurs with good ideas from starting a new venture and creating jobs. This would include strengthening the business environment to allow failure and company exit as a necessary part of entrepreneurial learning, company incentives that favor entrepreneurs with good ideas, instruments that enable entrepreneurs to access capital for startups, and intruments to tap into the vast diaspora pool both in terms of knowledge and capital. We hope that the issues discussed and the dialogue initiated during the course of this study would lend itself to policy design to foster high-growth entrepreneurship with a view to higher growth and job creation in this highly globalized world.

Download or read book Special Economic Zones written by Thomas Farole and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2011-08-01 with total page 347 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For countries as diverse as China and Mauritius, Special Economic Zones (SEZs) have been a powerful tool to attract foreign investment, promote export-oriented growth, and generate employment; for many others, the results have been less than encouraging. While the benefits and limitations of zones will no doubt continue to be debated, what is clear is that policymakers are increasingly attracted to them as an instrument of trade, investment, industrial, and spatial policy. Since the mid 1980s, the number of newly-established zones has grown rapidly in almost all regions, with dramatic growth in developing countries. In parallel with this growth and in the evolving context of global trade and investment, zones are also undergoing significant change in both their form and function, with traditional export processing zones (EPZs) increasingly giving way to larger and more flexible SEZ models. This new context will bring significant opportunities for developing countries to take advantage of SEZs, but will also raise new challenges to their successful design and implementation. This volume aims to contribute to a better understanding of the role and practice of SEZs in developing countries, in order to better equip policymakers in making effective decisions in planning and implementing SEZ programs. It covers some of the emerging issues and challenges in SEZs – including upgrading, regional integration, WTO compliance, innovation, the environment, and gender issues – with practical case examples from SEZ programs in developing countries.