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on Knowledge Management and Knowledge Economy |
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Issue of 2014‒11‒12
twelve papers chosen by Laura Ştefănescu Centrul European de Studii Manageriale în Administrarea Afacerilor |
| By: | Asongu, Simplice A |
| Abstract: | Africa’s overall knowledge index fell between 2000 and 2009. South Korea’s economic miracle is largely due to a knowledge-based development strategy that holds valuable lessons for African countries in their current pursuit towards knowledge economies. Using updated data (1996-2010), this paper presents fresh South Korean lessons to Africa by assessing the knowledge economy (KE) gaps, deriving policy syndromes and providing catch-up strategies. The 53 African frontier countries are decomposed into fundamental characteristics of wealth, legal origins, regional proximity, oil-exporting, political stability and landlockedness. The World Bank’s four KE components are used: education, innovation, information & communication technology (ICT) and economic incentives & institutional regime. Absolute beta and sigma convergence techniques are employed as empirical strategies. With the exception of ICT for which catch-up is not very apparent, in increasing order it is visible in: innovation, economic incentives, education and institutional regime. The speed of catch-up varies between 8.66% and 30.00% per annum with respective time to full or 100% catch-up of 34.64 years and 10 years. Based on the trends and dynamics in the KE gaps, policy syndromes and compelling catch-up strategies are discussed. Issues standing on the way to KE in Africa are dissected with great acuteness before South Korean relevant solutions are provided. The paper is original in its provision of practical policy initiatives drawn from the Korean experience to African countries embarking on a transition to KE. |
| Keywords: | Knowledge economy; Catch-up; South Korea; Africa |
| JEL: | O10 O30 O38 O55 O57 |
| Date: | 2014–08–14 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:58758&r=knm |
| By: | Francesco LISSONI; Ernest MIGUELEZ |
| Abstract: | In this paper we review 20 years of quantitative research in the geography of innovation, to whose advancement patent data have contributed in a decisive way. We know now that the importance attributed by the earliest studies to knowledge externalities as an agglomeration force was excessive. Localized knowledge flows exist, and explain agglomeration, but they are largely mediated by the labor market and markets for technologies. Besides, we know now that physical distance may affect knowledge diffusion, but so do social distance between inventors as well as inter- and intra-national borders. We also witness an ongoing widening of the research focus, from local/regional to international, with migration issues concerning inventors coming to the forefront. |
| Keywords: | economic geography, patents, intellectual property, innovation, inventors, spillovers, migration |
| JEL: | F22 J61 O31 R11 R12 |
| Date: | 2014 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:grt:wpegrt:2014-16&r=knm |
| By: | Havas, Attila |
| Abstract: | Against the backdrop of a strong plea for evidence-based policy, this paper juxtaposes how innovation is analyzed in mainstream economics and evolutionary economics of innovation, as well as their concomitant policy rationales. By discussing the indicators selected for the Innovation Union Scoreboard and another major EU report, it argues that the science-push model of innovation is still highly influential in the EU STI policy circles, despite a rich set of research insights stressing the importance of non-R&D types of knowledge in innovation processes. In conclusion, the chapter highlights the potential drawbacks of the persistent high-tech myth, considers possible reasons for its perseverance and discusses policy implications of the systemic view of innovation. Those include: i) STI policies should promote knowledge-intensive activities in all sectors, including low- and medium-technology industries and services; ii) it is a highly demanding set of tasks to identify systemic failures, devise appropriate policies to tackle those, and organize the required stakeholder dialogues; iii) several policies affect innovation processes and performance, perhaps even more strongly than STI policies, and hence policy goals and tools need to be orchestrated across several policy domains; iv) analysts and policy-makers need to be careful when interpreting their country’s ranking on ‘scoreboards’; v) the choice of an economics paradigm to guide policy evaluation is likely to be decisive. |
| Keywords: | Linear and networked models of innovation; Science-push; Market failure; Evolutionary economics of innovation; Systemic failures; STI policy; Opportunity costs |
| JEL: | B25 O31 O38 |
| Date: | 2014–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:58393&r=knm |
| By: | Vesna Vlaisavljevic (Department of Business Administration, Universidad Pablo de Olavide); Carmen Cabello Medina (Department of Business Administration, Universidad Pablo de Olavide); Ana Pérez-Luño (Department of Business Administration, Universidad Pablo de Olavide) |
| Abstract: | Alliances are increasingly considered a key issue for innovation, especially in knowledge-intensive firms. While this is true, the mere membership to alliances does not explain innovation performance, and thus the alliance’s characteristics that determine high performance must be examined. Our research address the question of how the diversity of partners in a certain alliance for innovation affects innovation performance, and how this influence can be moderated by certain characteristics, such as the social capital and type of knowledge shared among partners. The empirical analysis of a sample of 90 biotech companies shows that diversity, on its own, does not explain alliance performance. Instead, social capital and codified knowledge, as moderating variables, may help reap the benefits of diversity. This effect is not unlimited, so beyond a certain level of diversity, the moderating variables become less effective. |
| Keywords: | North-South, growth model, innovation assimilation |
| Date: | 2014–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pab:wpboam:14.01&r=knm |
| By: | Isaksen , Arne (Department of Working Life and Innovation, University of Agder); Trippl , Michaela (CIRCLE, Lund University) |
| Abstract: | The notion of path dependent regional industrial development has recently received increasing attention in economic geography, innovation studies and related fields. A core idea is that pre-existing industrial and institutional structures constitute the regional environment in which current activities occur and new activities arise. This may lead to a high degree of inertia of industrial structures and reflects the persistence of region-specific institutions, social forms and cultural traditions. The aim of this paper is to take a more nuanced view on regional economic development and to explore conceptually how various types of regions can renew themselves by moving beyond existing paths. Scholarly contributions to regional industrial path development have often emphasised firm-specific routines, norms and tacit knowledge that first of all underpin path extension, i.e., incremental product and process innovations in existing industries and along established technological paths. The paper extends this approach by looking at alternative paths that point to different forms of transformation of regional economies. A distinction between path renewal (branching of existing industries into different but related ones) and path creation (emergence of new industries) is drawn. The paper also extends the mainly micro-level and firm-based views of evolutionary economic geography with an institutional perspective, offered by the regional innovation system (RIS) concept. This enables us to capture the influence of the wider regional environment on the innovation capability of firms. We distinguish between different types of RISs: i) organisationally thick & diversified RISs, ii) organisationally thick & specialised RISs, and iii) organisationally thin RISs. The paper analyses in a conceptual way the relation between these RIS types and forms of regional industrial path development. We demonstrate that various types of regions, with their specific RISs, tend to transform themselves in different ways, i.e., they can be expected to embark on different development paths. We also discuss adequate policy approaches for the various types of regions. |
| Keywords: | Regional industrial path development; regional innovation systems; innovation policy |
| JEL: | O18 O38 R11 |
| Date: | 2014–09–28 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:lucirc:2014_017&r=knm |
| By: | Pablo D’Este (INGENIO [CSIC-UPV], Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, Spain); Alberto Marzucchi (Dept. of International Economics, Institutions and Development (DISEIS), Catholic University of Milan, Italy; INGENIO [CSIC-UPV], Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, Spain); Francesco Rentocchini (Southampton Business School, University of Southampton, United Kingdom) |
| Keywords: | innovation failure, exploration, exploitation, human capital, learning |
| JEL: | O32 D83 D22 J24 |
| Date: | 2014–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:sru:ssewps:2014-23&r=knm |
| By: | Claire Nauwelaers; Karen Maguire; Giulia Ajmone Marsan |
| Abstract: | The Oresund is the most well-known example of European cross-border collaboration, building on the metropolitan area around Copenhagen and, across the sound, southern Sweden with the cities of Malmö, Lund and Helsingborg. Cross-border integration intensified following the opening of a fixed-link bridge/tunnel in 2000. Commuting, student flows and cross-border residency have been on the rise in this knowledge-intensive area. Cross-border cluster efforts have had varying degrees of longevity, with Medicon Valley being the most internationally known brand. After hitting a plateau in terms of integration, the area is seeking renewed inspiration for cross-border efforts. This case study is part of the project Regions and Innovation: Collaborating Across Borders. A summary of this working paper appears in a report of the same name. |
| JEL: | L52 L53 O14 O18 O38 R11 R58 |
| Date: | 2013–12–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:govaab:2013/21-en&r=knm |
| By: | Grega Smrkolj (Newcastle University, United Kingdom); Florian Wagener (University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands) |
| Abstract: | We study a stochastic dynamic game of process innovation in which firms can initiate and terminate R&D efforts and production at different times. We discern the impact of knowledge spillovers on the investments in existing markets, as well as on the likely structure of newly forming markets, for all possible asymmetries between firms. We show that the relation between spillovers, R&D efforts, and surpluses is non-monotonic and dependent on both the relative and absolute efficiency of firms. Larger spillovers increase the likelihood that a new technology is brought to production, but they do not necessarily make the industry more competitive. |
| Keywords: | Differential game, Feedback Nash equilibrium, Numerical partial differential equations, R&D, Spillovers |
| JEL: | C61 C63 C73 D43 D92 L13 O31 |
| Date: | 2014–08–22 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dgr:uvatin:20140112&r=knm |
| By: | S. Gubik, Andrea; Bartha, Zoltán |
| Abstract: | The aim of this chapter is to identify the knowledge elements that are crucial in the internationalisation process of the Visegrad Group firms. It uses a two-dimensional model of business knowledge, which separates business knowledge along two dimensions: the tacit or explicit nature; and the codified or uncodified one. This model tells us that tacit and codified knowledge is the most difficult to transfer, while the explicit-uncodified part is the easiest. The five types of business knowledge were measured with a questionnaire conducted among 1124 firms from the V4 countries, including 240 Polish, 597 Czech, 113 Hungarian and 144 Slovak firms. It was found that knowledge is significantly related to the internationalisation process. The most important knowledge elements in both the decision of going international, and the intensity of internationalisation are the tacit and codified parts. |
| Keywords: | Internationalisation, business knowledge, Visegrad countries |
| JEL: | L20 L21 M16 |
| Date: | 2014–06–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:59578&r=knm |
| By: | Wolfgang Kerber (University of Marburg); Benjamin Kern (University of Marburg); Ralf Dewenter (HSU Hamburg) |
| Abstract: | In this empirical study all mergers that have been challenged by the U.S. antitrust agencies FTC and DOJ between 1995 and 2008 were analyzed in regard to the question to what extent and how the agencies assessed the innovation effects of mergers. Theoretical background is the still open question how negative effects of mergers on innovation should be taken into account in merger policy. Although we can show in our study that in one third of all challenged mergers also innovation concerns were raised, the results also point to a still existing large degree of uneasiness and inconsistencies of the agencies in regard to the assessment of innovation effects. A particularly interesting result is that - despite the wide-spread rejection of the "innovation market approach" in the antitrust debate - the agencies used more an innovationspecific assessment approach that includes also innovation in the market definition than the pure traditional product market concept. Additionally, we also found significant differences between the assessment approaches of the FTC and the DOJ. |
| Keywords: | innovation, merger policy, US antitrust, innovation market |
| JEL: | K21 L12 L41 O31 |
| Date: | 2014 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mar:magkse:201450&r=knm |
| By: | Amavilah, Voxi; Asongu, Simplice A; Andrés, Antonio R |
| Abstract: | A previous analysis of the impact of formal institutions on the knowledge economy of 22 Middle-Eastern and Sub-Sahara African countries during the 1996-2010 time period concluded that formal institutions were necessary, but inadequate, determinants of the knowledge economy. To extend that study, this paper claims that globalization induces peace and stability, which affects governance and through governance the knowledge economy. The claim addresses one weakness of previous research that did not consider the effects on the knowledge economy of globalization. We model the proposition as a three-stage process in four hypotheses, and estimate each hypothesis using robust estimators that are capable of dealing with the usual statistical problems without sacrificing economic relevance and significance. The results indicate that globalization has varying effects on peace and stability, and peace and stability affect governance differently depending on what kind of globalization induces it. For instance, the effects on governance induced by globalization defined as trade are stronger than those resulting from globalization taken to be foreign direct investment. Hence, we conclude that foreign direct investment is not a powerful mechanism for stimulating and sustaining the knowledge economy in our sample of countries. However, since globalization-induced peace and stability have both positive and negative effects on governance simultaneously, we also conclude that while the prospect for knowledge economy in African countries is dim, it is still realistic and attainable as long as these countries continue to engage in the kind of globalization that does indeed induce peace and stability. We further conclude that there is a need for a sharper focus on economic and institutional governance than on general governance as one possible extension of this paper. |
| Keywords: | Globalisation; Peace and Stability; Governance; Knowledge Economy |
| JEL: | I20 I28 K42 O10 O55 |
| Date: | 2014–08–14 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:58756&r=knm |
| By: | William Fuchs; Luis Garicano; Luis Rayo |
| Abstract: | We study contractual arrangements that support an efficient use of time in a knowledge-intensive economy in which agents endogenously specialize in either production or consulting. The resulting market for advice is plagued by informational problems, since both the difficulty of the questions posed to consultants and the knowledge of those consultants are hard to assess. We show that spot contracting is not efficient since lemons (in this case, self-employed producers with intermediate knowledge) cannot be appropriately excluded from the market. However, an ex-ante, firm-like contractual arrangement uniquely delivers the first best. This arrangement involves hierarchies in which consultants are full residual claimants of output and compensate producers via incentive contracts. This simple characterization of the optimal ex-ante arrangement suggests a rationale for the organization of firms and the structure of compensation in knowledge-intensive sectors. Our findings correspond empirically to observed arrangements inside professional service firms and between venture capitalists and entrepreneurs. |
| Keywords: | Contracting, experts, professional service firms, partnership, venture capital |
| JEL: | D86 L22 J33 J44 |
| Date: | 2014–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cep:cepdps:dp1308&r=knm |