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Article
Publication date: 14 May 2018

Jacques Charmes, Fred Gault and Sacha Wunsch-Vincent

The purpose of this paper is to review options for measuring innovation in the informal sector and proposes an agenda for future work.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review options for measuring innovation in the informal sector and proposes an agenda for future work.

Design/methodology/approach

It starts with a review of surveys of innovation in the formal business sector, and related definitions, as sources of questions and definitions which could be applied to the informal sector. Then, labor force surveys, and those that are combined with establishment surveys to measure informal sector activities, are examined with a view to adding questions, or modules, on the measurement of innovation in the informal sector. In addition, the advantages of using semi-structured interviews and ad hoc questionnaires in specific sub-sectors of the informal sector are explored.

Findings

The discussion leads to a possible agenda for future work on the development of policy relevant indicators of innovation in the informal economy. Two viable scenarios emerge: first, adding innovation questions to existing large-scale surveys of the informal economy; and/or second, conducting ad hoc questionnaire- and interview-based sectoral studies in selected countries.

Research limitations/implications

The proposed course of actions suffers from a few shortcomings: first, amending existing surveys as proposed here is always a challenging undertaking. A new survey questions have to be tested (cognitive and other testing); their deployment also depends on the willingness of countries to include new questions. Second, surveying the informal economy and applying proper sampling will remain an issue, no matter how good the survey design, and not matter how sincere the effort. Third, and finally, conducting these new survey techniques will require substantial resources over time.

Practical implications

In the coming years, new efforts are planned to gather data and better measure innovation in developing countries, such as the third edition of the African Innovation Outlook. This will widen the scope of reporting and analysis to include coverage of innovations in the informal sector (AU-NEPAD 2014). The suggestions in this chapter are intended to lay important groundwork for future empirical work, to help develop appropriate indicators and support new approaches to innovation policy in developing countries. Pragmatic suggestions are formulated, pointing to potential opportunities and challenges.

Social implications

The informal economy is a hugely important contributor to economic growth and social well-being in Africa and other developing countries. Better measurement and contributing to a better understanding of innovation in the informal economy will be important progress.

Originality/value

The contribution of the paper lies in the novel combination of tested approaches in informal sector surveys, on the one hand, and innovation surveys in the formal sector, on the other hand. The approaches provide ways forward to gain better understanding of the innovation in the informal economy, and to support innovation policy in African countries and beyond.

Details

Journal of Intellectual Capital, vol. 19 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1469-1930

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 August 2018

Claudio Cruz-Cázares, Cristina Bayona-Sáez, Teresa García-Marco, Hans Berends, Armand Smits and Isabelle Reymen

The purpose of this paper is to analyse a firm’s internal and external drivers of formal and informal open innovation (OI) practices. To enrich the analysis and to obtain more…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse a firm’s internal and external drivers of formal and informal open innovation (OI) practices. To enrich the analysis and to obtain more robust results, the authors checked the study’s hypotheses using samples from two European regions, Navarre (Spain), classified an innovator follower, and Noord-Brabant (Netherlands), an innovator leader.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample selected includes manufacturing and service firms that completed the Community Innovation Survey for the year 2008 in both regions. The final sample had 1,288 observations from Navarre and 623 observations from Noord-Brabant. The authors consider two OI dimensions, breadth of information sources for informal OI practices and breadth of cooperation agreement for formal OI practices. Finally, the estimates were performed by means of a negative binomial regression.

Findings

Results indicate that for the internal drivers, product-related motives to innovate and in-house R&D intensity are strong drivers for both formal and informal OI engagement in general, while the influence of process- and environmental-related motives are context dependence.

Originality/value

This study distinguishes between formal (i.e. cooperation activities) and informal (i.e. external sources of information used for new ideas) inbound OI practices, while most of the literature has focussed on one single type of OI practice. The use of two samples coming from two different European regions allows observe whether the adoption motives of the OI practices are robust independently from the firms’ location or if they vary across regions owing to context dependence.

Objetivo

La innovación abierta (IA) ha demostrado ser crucial para aumentar la innovación y el desempeño económico de las empresas. Sin embargo todavía existe una comprensión limitada de los factores que impulsan realizar esta IA. El principal objetivo de este artículo es arrojar luz en esta dirección al analizar simultáneamente los determinantes internos y externos que llevan a las empresas a realizar prácticas formales e informales de IA.

Diseño

Las hipótesis son contratadas con muestras de dos regiones europeas, Navarra (España), calificada como región seguidora en innovación, y Noord Brabant (Países Bajos), líder innovador. La muestra seleccionada incluye empresas manufactureras y de servicios que completaron la Community Innovation Survey (CIS) 2008.

Resultados

Los resultados indican que, para los determinantes internos, los motivos relacionados con la búsqueda de innovaciones en producto y la intensidad interna de I + D son fuertes impulsores para todas las prácticas de IA, mientras que la importancia de los motivos relacionados con la obtención de innovaciones en proceso y medioambientales dependen del contexto regional. En cuanto a los factores externos, la política pública influye en la adopción de IA tanto formal como informal, pero estos resultados varían entre las regiones dependiendo del origen de los fondos.

Originalidad/valor

El estudio presenta importantes implicaciones para la literatura en IA. En primer lugar, mientras la mayoría de la literatura analiza un único tipo de prácticas de IA, este estudio distingue prácticas formales e informales de IA y estudia sus determinantes internos y externos simultáneamente. Segundo, las hipótesis son contrastadas en dos regiones europeas diferentes. Esto permite observar si los resultados obtenidos son robustos independientemente de la localización de las empresas o si varían dependiendo del contexto de ambas regiones.

Objetivo

A inovação aberta (IA) provou ser crucial para aumentar a inovação e o desempenho económico das empresas. No entanto, ainda há uma compreensão limitada dos fatores que conduzem essa IA. O principal objetivo deste artigo é lançar luz nessa direção, analisando simultaneamente os determinantes internos e externos que levam as empresas a realizar práticas de IA formais e informais.

Desenho

As hipóteses são contratadas com amostras de duas regiões européias, Navarra (Espanha), classificada como uma região de inovação, e Noord Brabant (Holanda), um líder inovador. A amostra selecionada inclui empresas de fabricação e serviços que completaram o Community Innovation Survey (CIS) 2008.

Resultados

Os resultados indicam que, para os determinantes internos, os motivos relacionados à busca de inovações no produto e na intensidade interna de P & D são fortes impulsionadores para todas as práticas de IA, enquanto a importância dos motivos relacionados à obtenção Inovações em processo e ambientes dependem do contexto regional. Em relação aos fatores externos, observamos que a política pública influencia a adoção de IA formal e informal, mas esses resultados variam de acordo com as origens dos fundos.

Originalidade/valor

O estudo apresenta implicações importantes para a literatura em IA. Primeiro, enquanto a maioria da literatura analisa um único tipo de práticas de IA, este estudo distingue práticas formais e informais de IA e simultaneamente estuda seus determinantes internos e externos. Em segundo lugar, as hipóteses são contrastadas em duas regiões européias diferentes. Isso permite verificar se os resultados obtidos são robustos independentemente da localização das empresas ou se variam de acordo com o contexto de ambas as regiões.

Article
Publication date: 10 October 2016

Justin Doran and Declan Jordan

The purpose of this paper is to analyse differences in the drivers of firm innovation performance across sectors. The literature often makes the assumption that firms in different…

1406

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse differences in the drivers of firm innovation performance across sectors. The literature often makes the assumption that firms in different sectors differ in their propensity to innovate but not in the drivers of innovation. The authors empirically assess whether this assumption is accurate through a series of econometric estimations and tests.

Design/methodology/approach

The data used are derived from the Irish Community Innovation Survey 2004-2006. A series of multivariate probit models are estimated and the resulting coefficients are tested for parameter stability across sectors using likelihood ratio tests.

Findings

The results indicate that there is a strong degree of heterogeneity in the drivers of innovation across sectors. The determinants of process, organisational, new to firm and new to market innovation varies across sectors suggesting that the pooling of sectors in an innovation production function may lead to biased inferences.

Research limitations/implications

The implications of the results are that innovation policies targeted at stimulating innovation need to be tailored to particular industries. One size fits all policies would seem inappropriate given the large degree of heterogeneity observed across the drivers of innovation in different sectors.

Originality/value

The value of this paper is that it provides an empirical test as to whether it is suitable to group sectoral data when estimating innovation production functions. Most papers simply include sectoral dummies, implying that only the propensity to innovate differs across sectors and that the slope of the coefficient estimates are in fact consistent across sectors.

Details

Journal of Economic Studies, vol. 43 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3585

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 June 2013

Andrew Fearne, José María García Álvarez‐Coque, Teresa López‐García Usach Mercedes and Sánchez García

This paper aims to analyse the capacity of rural and urban spaces to promote innovation in the agro‐food firms. The purpose is to determine if the rural/urban division affects the…

1182

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to analyse the capacity of rural and urban spaces to promote innovation in the agro‐food firms. The purpose is to determine if the rural/urban division affects the innovative behaviour of agriculture, food processing and food distribution firms.

Design/methodology/approach

Business data have been obtained for over 2,000 firms based in the Valencia region, Spain. Out of them, over 200 declared to have taken part in R&D&i activities, mainly in partnership with public support institutions. The database supplies data of micro and small enterprises, which have been typically underestimated in the Spanish Survey on Technological Innovation in Enterprises. The database also makes it possible to identify the main location of agro‐food business, and the territory is divided in Local Labour Systems (LLS). LLS were in turn classified as rural or urban according to alternative criteria (OECD, national legislation). A logit model has been used in the analyses.

Findings

The location of enterprises according to the rural/urban divide does not appear relevant concerning innovation, although businesses orientated to the primary sector seem less innovative. Co‐op businesses appear to be more innovative.

Originality/value

The paper offers an approach of innovation in the agro‐food traditionally considered as a non‐innovative system. It explores how territory affects innovation using data from firms.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 51 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 October 2021

Henar Alcalde-Heras, Mercedes Oleaga and Eduardo Sisti

The literature stresses the importance of collaboration patterns and the role of public funding in regional competitiveness. This study aims to contribute to a better…

Abstract

Purpose

The literature stresses the importance of collaboration patterns and the role of public funding in regional competitiveness. This study aims to contribute to a better understanding of this subject by focusing on two key dynamics of technological cooperation. First, the authors focus on the ability of public funding to support regional technological demand through the promotion of science and technology-based innovation (STI) and innovation based on learning-by-doing, learning-by-using, learning-by-interacting (DUI) cooperation. Second, the authors investigate whether such cooperation patterns influence the companies’ ability to support the development of novel products through the effective transfer of knowledge.

Design/methodology/approach

The data used in this longitudinal study are taken from the Basque statistics agency’s (EUSTAT) technological innovation survey, which compiles activities, personnel, funding sources, support institutions and other innovation-related aspects of businesses in the Basque region. The survey was carried out following the methodology of the community innovation survey (CIS). CIS data are used to generate official innovation statistics for the EU and its member countries and have been used extensively for analysis in economics. The sample included an unbalanced panel of 17,431 companies that reported research and development expenditure for the period 2013‐2017.

Findings

The results of the analysis confirm that the relationship between STI cooperation and regional funding is positive (Piñeiro-Antelo and Lois-González, 2019), but regional DUI cooperation will have a greater impact than STI cooperation on a company’s ability to generate novel products. The authors can, therefore, say that public funding is successful at supporting cooperation between science and technology agents and firms but fails to promote the transfer of knowledge and subsequent development of novel products in companies in the region.

Practical implications

Following a quadruple helix approach, it is important to underline the need for public policies to strengthen the connections between all the key agents in the ecosystem (where the research community, industry, public sector and citizens are all active actors), promoting technology transfer and dissemination, as well as trust among the parties, absorptive capacity and business access to resources and financing. Thus, the design of public policies should be oriented to support a firm’s innovation, balancing the exploration and exploitation of STI and DUI regional cooperation.

Originality/value

The contribution of this research is threefold. First, it serves to emphasize the importance of the impact of regional innovation systems on business innovation modes and their performance. Second, it takes the study of innovation systems and their impact on companies a step further by examining the impact of public funding on the companies’ ability to explore and exploit regional innovation modes. Thirdly, the authors offer a dynamic view of the region’s ability to support its own demand for technology and study the impact of regional business modes on the firms’ ability to support novel products.

Details

Competitiveness Review: An International Business Journal , vol. 33 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1059-5422

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 December 2020

Gonzalo Valdés, Jonathan Astorga, Rodrigo Fuentes-Solís and Manuel Alonso Dos Santos

The goal of this research is to evaluate obstacles to innovation according to the perception of firms in the Chilean food sector, and to assess the relationships of these…

Abstract

Purpose

The goal of this research is to evaluate obstacles to innovation according to the perception of firms in the Chilean food sector, and to assess the relationships of these obstacles with innovation spending and willingness to innovate.

Design/methodology/approach

We analyzed data from the Chilean National Innovation Survey (Encuesta Nacional de Innovación) of 2017 and 2019, which were administered by the Ministry of Economy and the National Institute of Statistics. This survey is designed to be nationally representative. The methods we employed to analyze the data include linear regression, probit and logit models and factor analysis.

Findings

We found that obstacles to innovation can be grouped into five types, namely: cost-based, knowledge-related, market problems, lack of necessity for innovations and regulatory. Cost was positively, and significantly, associated with innovation (expenditures and willingness to innovate). We argue that this is because as firms engage in innovation, they become aware of the associated costs. Also, knowledge obstacles and lack of necessity were negatively associated with innovation. This may mean that as firms engage in innovation, they are able to overcome said obstacles; which speaks well of their innovation ecosystem.

Originality/value

We develop the argument that survey-based studies of obstacles are amenable to a perception-based interpretation of obstacles, because most surveys tend to collect firms' perceptions. Consequently, we provide perception-based explanations for our findings. Additionally, most empirical studies of obstacles in the food sector are of a qualitative nature. Our work supplements this literature with a quantitative analysis that can expand our understanding of innovation in the food industry.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 123 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 July 2021

Vianey Oliveira Costa, Raquel Rodrigues Rocha and Maria Jose Madeira

The purpose of this paper is to understand the innovative scenario in Portugal, assess the patterns of goods and service change in the past decade and evaluate several essential…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand the innovative scenario in Portugal, assess the patterns of goods and service change in the past decade and evaluate several essential characteristics from innovation and its relevant aspects.

Design/methodology/approach

This research is a case study with secondary data obtained from the Community Innovation Survey (CIS) in which it is applied to the constant comparative method of data analysis proposed by Spiggle (1994).

Findings

The innovation of products and services in Portugal increased over the entire period analyzed although not linear, the financing programs contributed to the recovery and growth of innovation and small companies presented the most significant increase in product innovation.

Research limitations/implications

This investigation has limitations related to the data collected because the secondary data analyzed generalize the indicators and make it impossible to comprehend each aspect analyzed in this study in detail. This study also pointed out that Portuguese small- and medium-sized enterprises are more easily able to innovate in times of difficulty when compared to large companies. However, it is necessary to understand this phenomenon and present elements that can support or refute this discovery.

Practical implications

This paper offers a broad view of product and service innovation in Portugal for companies, entrepreneurs, universities and researchers, in addition to facilitating the creation and structuring of policies, research and financing that can develop innovation processes.

Social implications

By presenting a macro view of product and service innovation, this paper may facilitate the creation of incentives for innovation in Portugal and, consequently, to improve economic and development indicators.

Originality/value

This paper is unique in showing the patterns of innovation in the product and service in Portugal over almost a decade and in demonstrating important indicators that can be used in future research.

Details

International Journal of Innovation Science, vol. 14 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-2223

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 October 2010

Ghassan Aouad, Beliz Ozorhon and Carl Abbott

The purpose of this paper is to provide an insight for future innovation research activities and for the role of universities in working with industry to promote innovation.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide an insight for future innovation research activities and for the role of universities in working with industry to promote innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper provides an overview and synthesis of the literature on innovation and the role of universities. This is supported by interviews, case studies, and surveys within academic and industrial communities.

Findings

The paper identifies that innovation, whether at an international, national, regional, firm or project level of analysis, continues to be at the forefront of the mind of policy makers and practitioners alike. Nevertheless, our understanding of innovation is far from complete. More research is required to study innovation at these different levels of resolution and at different points in the project life cycle. In order for the research base to play its part in promoting construction innovation, an engagement mechanism is required that brings together academia and industry in a way that recognises and responds to these multiple perspectives on innovation.

Originality/value

The paper creates value by synthesising literature on construction innovation and highlights areas for further research. Based on this, a model for effective industry/university engagement is proposed.

Details

Construction Innovation, vol. 10 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1471-4175

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 November 2010

Ramakrishnan Ramanathan, Andrew Black, Prithwiraj Nath and Luc Muyldermans

The role of environmental regulations in inducing innovation and improving performance has been studied in the literature. However, there have been no studies in the UK using…

4455

Abstract

Purpose

The role of environmental regulations in inducing innovation and improving performance has been studied in the literature. However, there have been no studies in the UK using statistical data. This paper aims to study the links among regulations, innovation and performance in the UK using sector level data.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper used structural equation modelling to study the links among the three variables simultaneously.

Findings

The analysis indicates that environmental regulations in the UK are significant in improving economic performance of the industrial sectors. They also find that, in the short run, environmental regulations negatively influence innovation, and innovation negatively influences economic performance in these sectors.

Practical implications

The results have implications both for policy makers and firms in the UK industrial sector. For policy makers, environmental regulations have generally improved economic performance. For firms, the study shows that sufficient planning in meeting government's environment standards can help improve their economic performance.

Originality/value

This is the first study in the UK to explore simultaneously the links among the three variables: environmental regulations, innovation, and performance, using secondary sector level data.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 48 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 December 2017

Albert Edgar Manyuchi and John Ouma Mugabe

A growing number of African countries are starting to produce science, technology and innovation (STI) indicators. The purpose of this paper is to provide some lessons learnt in…

Abstract

Purpose

A growing number of African countries are starting to produce science, technology and innovation (STI) indicators. The purpose of this paper is to provide some lessons learnt in the production and use of STI indicators in Malawi and South Africa. It is compares the two countries’ efforts to conduct Research and Development (R&D) surveys and examines whether and how STI indicators are used in policymaking processes.

Design/methodology/approach

The study approach is qualitative. The research methodology encompasses a thorough review of both policy and academic literature as well as some interviews.

Findings

The study demonstrates that South Africa has a relatively developed institutional arrangement for undertaking R&D and innovation surveys and developing related STI indicators. There is evidence that efforts are being made to use STI indicators to inform policymaking in the country. On the other hand, Malawi conducted its first R&D survey under the African Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators Initiative (ASTII) and has not established an institutional mechanism dedicated to producing STI indicators. There is no evidence that indicators are used in, or to inform, policymaking in the country.

Research limitations/implications

Because of significant differences in STI policymaking histories, capacities and cultures of the two countries, it is not really useful to compare the STI production and use. Rather it is important to draw lessons from the efforts of the two countries.

Practical implications

The results suggest that the production of STI indicators should be embedded in policy processes. To be useful and effective, STI indicators production needs to be explicitly linked to policy formulation, evaluation and monitoring activities without necessarily undermining the independence of producing STI indicators.

Social implications

Creating stand-alone programmes or agencies for R&D and innovation surveys without clear articulation with policymaking needs erodes opportunities of having evidence-based STI policy regimes.

Originality/value

Although in 2005 only South Africa and Tunisia had national programmes dedicated to the generation of R&D statistics, by the end of 2010 at least 19 African countries had experimented with conducting R&D surveys under the auspices of the ASTII of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development. These countries accumulated different experiences and consequently build different kinds of institutional capacities. Through the Malawi and South Africa case studies, some important lessons for STI indicators production and use and STI policymaking can be drawn for developing countries in general and African countries in particular.

Details

Journal of Science and Technology Policy Management, vol. 9 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2053-4620

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 43000