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Globelics Academy

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Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Technological Change and the challenges for development: building on the experience of less favoured regions
    (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2004) Heitor, Manuel V. ; Conceição, Pedro ; Ferrão, Paulo
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    Technological Change and the challenges for Regional Development:building "social capital" in less-favoured region
    (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2004) Nunes, Richard J. ; Heitor, Manuel V. ; Conceição, Pedro
    The relevance of regional policy for less favoured regions (LFRs) reveals itself when policy-makers must reconcile competitiveness with social cohesion through the adaptation of competition or innovation policies. The vast literature in this area generally builds on an overarching concept of “social capital” as the necessary relational infrastructure for collective action diversification and policy integration, in a context much influenced by a dynamic of industrial change and a necessary balance between the creation and diffusion of knowledge through learning. This relational infrastructure or “social capital” is centred on people’s willingness to cooperate and envision futures as a result of social organization, such as networks, norms and trust that facilitate action and cooperation for mutual benefit (Putnam, 1993: 35). Advocates of this interpretation of “social capital” have adopted the “new growth” thinking behind “systems of innovation” and “competence building”, arguing that networks have the potential to make both public administration and markets more effective as well as learning trajectories more inclusive of the development of society as a whole. This essay aims to better understand the role of “social capital” in the production and reproduction of uneven regional development patterns, and to critically assess the limits of a “systems concept” and an institution-centred approach to comparative studies of regional innovation. These aims are discussed in light of the following two assertions: i) learning behaviour, from an economic point of view, has its determinants, and ii) the positive economic outcomes of “social capital” cannot be taken as a given. It is suggested that an agent-centred approach to comparative research best addresses the learning determinants and the consequences of social networks on regional development patterns. A brief discussion of the current debate on innovation surveys has been provided to illustrate this point.
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    From digital cities to mobile regions: a policy learning process fostering local systems of innovation and competence building
    (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2004) Conceição, Pedro ; Ferreira, P. ; Heitor, Manuel V. ; Moutinho, J. L.
    Given the current socio-economic context, in which innovation is a key driver of sustainable development, what are the challenges facing information-based development and cooperation, in a way that contributes to regional policies that stimulate localized learning and indigenous development? This broad question has motivated the work behind the present paper, which considered the development of case studies in selected Portuguese cities and regions and the emerging urbanization trends of increasing urban population, but reduced urban density. It is argued that the progressive integration of mobile ICT´s with sustainable mobility equipments and concepts will facilitate improving well being in urban regions if adequate incentives, infrastructures and institutions are adaptively implemented through a policy learning process. The analysis builds on the concept of local system of innovation and competence building, in a context much influenced by a dynamic of change and a necessary balance between the diffusion of mobile technologies and the social and cultural shaping of information technologies
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    The “Swing of the Pendulum” from Public to Market Support for Science and Technology: Is the US Leading the Way?
    (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2004) Conceição, Pedro ; Heitor, Manuel V. ; Sirilli, Giorgio ; Wilson, Robert
    The structure and financing of science and technology activities are undergoing a slow, but profound, change. This change can be briefly characterized as a shift from relying and supporting public science to a stronger emphasis on “market-based” incentives for science and technology. In this paper we analyze this shift in a historical perspective, discussing both the theoretical explanations and the empirical trends of the ongoing change. While we do not claim to provide a comprehensive and exhaustive identification of the causes of this shift, we argue that it is largely driven by the perception of a shift of the US policy towards market-based, rather than publicly support, incentives for science and technology. This, in turn – given the strong economic performance of the US over the 1990s – has influenced policies in most OECD countries, and especially in Europe. We conclude by analyzing the evolution of research in US higher education and find two major trends: an increasing diversity in the number of institutions of different types other than universities and a steady and continuous public funding of the leading US universities. This has allowed the construction of an infrastructure now used largely by the private sector, but it also noted that the US has not compromised public support for core areas or in those fields in which there is a clear perception that market incentives are not sufficient for meeting the strategic targets of the US policy. The implication is that there is a considerable “policy diversity” in the US practice and that all aspects of this diversity should be considered when using the US as a reference.