220 research outputs found
Research and Development and Competitiveness in South Eastern Europe: Asset or Liability for EU Integration?
No full textThis paper explores the relationship between research and development (R&D) and competitiveness of the SEE economies from the perspective of the EU integration and the EU as a knowledge based economy. Specifically, the paper addresses the question of whether SEE is a potential asset or a liability in this process. SEE countries are quite diverse in terms of levels of competitiveness, with visible effects on the role of R&D which is confirmed by analysis of the demand and supply factors of R&D. Although tentative, results show that innovation policy that takes account of the supply and demand side factors of R&D is essential to knowledge based growth in the SEE economies. This poses some limits to traditionally defined S&T policy as a sectoral activity and calls for new approaches, which are discussed in the paper
Advancing Theory and Practice of Smart Specialization: Key Messages
No full textThe chapter summarizes six key messages of the volume. First, smart specialization (SS) is a case of incomplete new industrial innovation policy caught in between its experimental nature and political and administrative requirements of public administration, as well as the funding rules. Second, different distances of countries and regions from the technology frontier will strongly affect the scope and type of their innovation and industrial policies, and would need to be explicitly recognized by the SS approach. Third, completion of SS as an experimentalist industrial innovation policy would require that it explicitly addresses the institutional context and capacities needed for the SS process. Fourth, a link to global value chains and FDI is the least developed section of the overall SS policy apparatus, and this would require the development of new policy tools. Fifth, SS is not only a technical exercise in a priority setting, but also a sociopolitical bargaining process. Finally, we highlight the key lessons for non-EU economies based on the EU SS experience
Growth, Integration and Spillovers in the Central and East European Software Industry
No full textThis paper explores growth and competitive advantage in CEE software firms; it looks at the role of strategic partnerships and industry (spillover) effects. The empirical analysis is based on survey data from 224 software firms from six CEE countries (Bulgaria, Czech R, Estonia, Serbia, Slovenia, Romania). The results of the descriptive analysis are interpreted from the perspective of the role of capabilities in industrial development. The analysis shows that the patterns of growth are a mix of sector, region and sub--region specific determinants and show important national differences. This suggests that the CEE software industry cannot be considered as a homogenous phenomenon. There is no general tendency towards an expansion in exports; based on our sample only Romania is developing an export oriented software industry. Research shows that the CEE software industry is populated by young, dedicated, domestic firms, which are independent, and privately owned and which are mainly oriented towards localisation of software. They are strongly dependent for trade and production on alliances and strategic partnerships with foreign partners and a small share of technology based partnerships. There is an extensive process of industry upgrading underway, involving country and sub-region specific changes. The spillover effects are significant, through links with clients and intensive intra-industry knowledge transfer through high employment turnover and potentially high knowledge transfer from foreign to local projects. Differences between central and eastern Europe are strong in terms of degree of diversification of software supply, industrial upgrading and quality of demand. The pattern of software development in CEE differs from that in other emerging markets in the sense that it is domestic market oriented, but with an emerging export market for services. Its further growth and upgrading will be strongly dependent on the acquisition of organisational capabilities by local firms
Assessing EU Smart Specialization Policy in a Comparative Perspective
No full textThe chapter positions EU smart specialization within the context of the six other newly emerged approaches to industrial and innovation policy. These approaches—binding constraints to growth, product space method, new structural economics, neo-Schumpeterian, Schumpeterian approach, and process (evolutionary) view—are briefly explained and comparatively analyzed. They all share the idea that the ultimate constraints to growth are unknown, and all try to address the issues related to the specialization choices, as well as the challenges of technology upgrading and innovation-based growth. They differ in their approach to the “discovery” of specializations and the role of policies in the implementation process. Within this context, EU smart specialization is defined as the EU’s version of a new industrial innovation policy. Its greatest challenges are predominantly R&D and high-tech orientation as opposed to alternative modes of technology upgrading; strong inward orientation and neglect of global value chains as a complementary mechanism of technology upgrading; neglect of institutional capacities for implementation of SS policies; and the implementation challenges, which stem from the clash between the experimental character of the SS approach and the administrative requirements of EU funding
Slavo Radosevic o przemianach nauki i techniki w krajach Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej
No full textScience Policy Research Unit at Sussex University is considered as one of the most successful think tanks studying science and technology systems in countries of Central and Eastern Europę. Dr. Slavo Radosevic is considered as one of the main network organisers and the best researchers dealing woth this area of study Advantages of SPRU studies are to be seen in latest Slavo Radosevic’s reports summing up results of research project Restructuring and reintegration o fS & T systems o t the economies in transition financed by EC DG XII TSER (1996-1998).Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU), działający na Uniwersytecie w Sussex, jest uznawany za najważniejszy think tank (sztab ekspertów) zajmujący się problematyką przemian systemów nauki i techniki w krajach Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej, a pracownik SPRU dr Slavo Radosevic - za głównego organizatora sieci badaczy oraz autora najlepszych syntez dotyczących tego obszaru badań. Najistotniejszym walorem prac powstających w kręgu SPRU jest oparcie na badaniach empirycznych, ujęcie porównawcze oraz znajomość metod badawczych science policy studies. Zalety te są widoczne w opracowaniach pióra Radosevica, będących podsumowaniem projektu zbiorowego EC DGXII TSER pt. Restrukturyzacja oraz reintegracja systemów nauki i techniki w gospodarkach postkomunistycznych, realizowanego w latach 1996-1998
Party-system institutionalization and democracy: the case of Russia
No full textParty-system institutionalization and its implications for democratic consolidation is an important sub-field in the study of political parties. The conventional view is that an institutionalized party system is better for democracy than an under-institutionalized one. This article considers the case of party-system institutionalization and democracy in Russia, and its implications for our understanding of the relationship between party-system institutionalization and democracy. The analysis finds, contrary to the expectations of the literature, that this relationship has been inverse in Russia i.e. as the party system has institutionalized democracy has declined. The Russian case shows that the link between party-system institutionalization and democracy does not necessarily hold and suggests that the conditions in which party-system institutionalization has democratizing effects need to be specified more precisely
Corporate governance and control in Russian banks
No full textThe Working Paper employs the paradigm of new institutional economics to examine peculiarities of the Russian model of corporate governance and control in the banking sector. The study relies upon theoretical as well as applied research of corporate governance in Russian commercial banks featuring different forms of ownership. We focus on real interests of all stakeholders, namely bank and stock market regulators, bank owners, investors, top managers and other insiders. The Anglo-American concept of corporate governance, based on agency theory and implying outside investors' control over banks through stock market, is found to bear limited relevance. We suggest some ways of overcoming the gap between formal institutions of governance and the real life
The Great Divide: Ruralisation of Poverty in Russia
No full textUsing data from the RLMS for the period 2000-2004 we investigate poverty trends in Russia. We find that urban poverty declines at twice the rate of rural poverty so that by 2004 poverty in Russia had become a largely rural phenomenon for the first time since transition began. This finding does not stem from changing population characteristics or shares, is not dependent on the use of a particular poverty line nor is it driven by the rapid expansions that have occurred in Moscow, St. Petersburg or other urban areas. Our findings flesh out those of Ravallion et al (2007) who, in contrast to other regions, "find signs" of a ruralisation of poverty in Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union. We attribute some of the differential to the labour market
Pan-European industrial networks as factor of convergence or divergence within Europe
No full textBook description: European integration can no longer be understood as a west European experiment mainly focused on functional and economic policy cooperation. The issues addressed include security and defence, as well as core concerns of European society. This volume explores three interlocking dimensions of integration; functional, territorial, and affiliational. Each dimension influences how countries across the continent engage with European integration. This first volume in the One Europe or Several? series identifies the agenda of a research programme, funded by the British Economic and Social Research Council
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