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on Project, Program and Portfolio Management |
| By: | Brad R. Watts (W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research); George A. Erickcek (W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research); Jacob Duritsky (TeamNEO); Kevin O’Brien (Cleveland State University); Claudette Robey (Cleveland State University); Jim Robey (TeamNEO) |
| Abstract: | This paper describes the completion of a “comprehensive study of regionalism” that was conducted by a joint team of economists and economic development specialists for the Economic Development Administration (EDA). The project consisted of two main activities: an examination of the factors associated with economic development success and the creation of a practical interactive tool for EDA project assessment and comparison. Findings from surveys, interviews, and project case studies are discussed in terms of their support for a positive relationship between successful economic development efforts and factors such as leadership and private investment. Also, the authors discuss the creation of a quantitative assessment model utilizing well-known approaches such as economic impact multipliers and cluster theory. The primary contribution of this work to the existing body of EDA-focused research and evaluation literature is introducing a means of using standardized scores, also known as z-scores, to compare and assess economic development projects across both industries and regions. |
| Keywords: | regional economic development, economic impact, assessment model, EDA, z-score |
| JEL: | O21 |
| Date: | 2009–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:upj:weupjo:09-155&r=ppm |
| By: | Laura Magazzini; Fabio Pammolli; Massimo Riccaboni; Maria Alessandra Rossi |
| Abstract: | The prominent role played by patents within the pharmaceutical domain is unquestionable. In this paper we take an unusual perspective and focus on a relatively neglected implication of patents: the effect of patent-induced information disclosure (of both successes and failures) on the dynamics of R&D and market competition. The study builds upon the combination of two large datasets, linking the information about patents to firm level data on R&D projects and their outcome. Two case studies in the fields of anti-inflammatory compounds and cancer research complement our analysis. We show the important role played by patent disclosure in shaping firms technological trajectories through the possibility of reciprocal monitoring in a context of parallel research efforts, and suggest the importance of enhancing the diffusion of information concerning failures, not only to avoid wasteful duplication of innovative efforts, but also as a tool for the identification of promising research trajectories. This paper is the result of the "R&D competition" research project carried out jointly with Adrian Towse and Martina Garau of the Office of Health Economics, London, UK. A preliminary draft of the paper has been presented to the DRUID Summer Conference 2006 (Copenhagen), and to the 11th ISS Conference (Sophia-Antipolis). |
| JEL: | D23 D83 O34 |
| Date: | 2009–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:trt:rockwp:053&r=ppm |
| By: | Schwartz, Jordan Z.; Andres, Luis A.; Dragoiu, Georgeta |
| Abstract: | Infrastructure investment is a central part of the stimulus plans of the Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC) region as it confronts the growing financial crisis. This paper estimates the potential effects on direct, indirect, and induced employment for different types of infrastructure projects with LAC-specific variables. The analysis finds that the direct and indirect short-term employment generation potential of infrastructure capital investment projects may be considerable - averaging around 40,000 annual jobs per US$1billion in LAC, depending upon such variables as the mix of subsectors in the investment program; the technologies deployed; local wages for skilled and unskilled labor; and the degrees of leakages to imported inputs. While these numbers do not account for substitution effect, they are built around an assumed"basket"of investments that crosses infrastructure sectors most of which are not employment-maximizing. Albeit limited in scope, rural road maintenance projects may employ 200,000 to 500,000 annualized direct jobs for every US$1billion spent. The paper also describes the potential risks to effective infrastructure investment in an environment of crisis including sorting and planning contradictions, delayed implementation and impact, affordability, and corruption. |
| Keywords: | Transport Economics Policy&Planning,,Banks&Banking Reform,Non Bank Financial Institutions,Debt Markets |
| Date: | 2009–07–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:5009&r=ppm |
| By: | Spyros Arvanitis (KOF Swiss Economic Institute, ETH Zurich, Switzerland) |
| Abstract: | Starting point of our analysis is the empirical fact that firms pursue different goals when getting engaged in R&D collaborations, often more than one goal at the same time. Given that firms are driven by different motives for R&D cooperation, the aim of this article is to investigate the differences related to different motives with respect (a) to the factors influencing the likelihood of R&D cooperation as postulated by theory; and (b) to the impact of R&D cooperation on firm innovativeness and firm productivity. On the whole, distinguishing various cooperation motives appears to be fruitful because it allows more differentiated insights with respect to the importance of factors determining cooperation that would remain hidden behind the overall variable “R&D cooperation yes/no”. Not only R&D cooperation in general but also cooperation driven by each of the seven motives considered in this paper correlate positively with the sales share of innovative products. With respect to innovativeness the characterization of cooperation by the driving motive did not add much more insights that it could be gained through the overall variable ‘R&D cooperation yes/no’. Technology-motivated collaborative activities show a weaker tendency to positive direct effects on productivity than cost-motivated cooperation. In this case, the distinction of several cooperation motives yields some additional insights as compared to the overall cooperation variable. |
| Keywords: | R&D cooperation, absorptive capacity, incoming spillovers, innovation |
| JEL: | O30 |
| Date: | 2009–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:kof:wpskof:09-233&r=ppm |
| By: | Jos Leys (HIVA, Catholic University of Leuven); Wim Van Opstal (HIVA, Catholic University of Leuven); Caroline Gijselinckx (HIVA, Catholic University of Leuven) |
| Abstract: | “Stakeholder” and related notions have been coined to enhance managerial practice in mainstream corporations. Currently, these notions are abundantly present in all kinds of discourses, especially those on mainstream “socially responsible investing”. But what kind of stakeholder management are these socially responsible investors promoting and what might be reasonable expectations about outcomes? We find that they promote an approach that has shareholder value as motivation and legitimisation and that they nowhere promote sharing of governance with stakeholders other than shareholders. We explain why this might reasonably be expected. Besides these mainstream investors and corporations, investing in co-operatively structured corporations differs regarding stakeholder positions with respect to the position of at least one stakeholder group, whether this be consumers, employees or producers. What are the implications thereof and are these investments then superior from a socially responsible perspective on investment? We find that co-operative investors meet their own set of difficulties in implementing stakeholder management. Our questions and findings enable us to formulate some critical remarks concerning the stakeholder-notion in both discourses and in general. We suggest its use should at least be minimised in favour of more specific notions. |
| Keywords: | stakeholder management, SRI, co-operatives, corporate governance |
| JEL: | G11 G32 L21 M14 |
| Date: | 2009–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hva:wpssce:0901&r=ppm |