100,920 research outputs found

    Innovation Indicators: for a critical reflection on their use in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs)

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    It has been widely recognized that innovation is an important driver of economic growth. Many Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) have adopted innovation indicators to monitor innovation performance and to evaluate the impact of innovation policies. This paper argues that innovation indicators should be customized to the different socio-economic structures of LMICs. For this, the definition of innovation needs to be relevant to the multitude of innovation actors and processes in LMICs. LMICs also need to build competences not only in the construction of innovation indicators within their statistical systems, but also in the use of these indicators by among others policy makers. Especially as the fourth edition of the Oslo Manual (OM 2018) has broadened the scope of “innovation”, opening up policy space for LMICs to accommodate the diversity in their national systems of innovation and to develop accompanying innovation indicators.JEL Classification Codes: O38, O32, O29, P47http://www.grips.ac.jp/list/jp/facultyinfo/iizuka-michiko

    On the European readiness for flexicurity: Empirical evidence with OECD/HBS methodologies and reform proposals

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    The Fourth European Working Conditions Survey (European Foundation 2007) is used to investigate the readiness of Europe to flexicurity labour market reforms proposed by the European Commission (= flexibilization of employment relations compensated by improvements in employment security backed up by lifelong learning). For this purpose, composite indicators of flexibility, precariousness and decentness of work are constructed with the OECD and HBS (Hans Boeckler Stiftung) methodologies which differ in scaling. Then the indices are visualized with specially designed tabular graphs and analysed. Both methodologies give quite similar results. It is revealed that (1) factual flexibility (as it is practiced) radically differs from institutional flexibility (prescribed by employment protection legislation), (2) flexibility and precariousness of work correlate with statistical certainty, moreover, no country combines high flexibility and low precariousness; (3) flexibilization has the strongest negative effect on employability; (4) there is an acute shortage of learning options, (5) learning makes a negative impact on job satisfaction, at the same time job stability is top esteemed, but not income which is ranked only 6th, and (6) working conditions of flexibly employed is worse than of normally employed, being even below the European average. It implies that the Commission's conception of flexicurity, neglecting the socio-economic reality, can be hardly efficient and successful. Therefore, an alternative implementation of flexicurity is proposed in the form of flexinsurance which assumes that the employer's contribution to social security should be proportional to the flexibility (precariousness) of the employment contract. To stimulate employers to equalize working conditions of normal and atypical employees, it is proposed to introduce a workplace tax for bad working conditions which should protect 'the working environment' in the same way as the green tax protects the natural environment. --

    Feelings of dual-insecurity among European workers: A multi-level analysis

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    This article analyses European Social Survey data for 22 countries. We assess the relationship between feelings of employment and income insecurity (dual-insecurity) among workers and national flexicurity policies in the areas of lifelong learning, active labour market policy, modern social security systems and flexible and reliable contractual arrangements. We find that dual-insecurity feelings are lower in countries that score better on most flexicurity polices, but these effects are in all cases outweighed by levels of GDP per capita. Thus feelings of insecurity are reduced more by the affluence of a country than by its social policies. However, affluence is strongly correlated with the policy efforts designed to reduce insecurity, especially active labour market policies and life-long learning, two policy areas that are threatened with cuts as a result of austerity

    Measuring Intermediary Determinants of Early Childhood Health: A Composite Index Comparing Colombian Departments

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    In recent years there has been growing interest in composite indicators as an efficient tool of analysis and a method of prioritizing policies. This paper presents a composite index of intermediary determinants of child health using a multivariate statistical approach. The index shows how specific determinants of child health vary across Colombian departments (administrative subdivisions). We used data collected from the 2010 Colombian Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) for 32 departments and the capital city, BogotĂĄ. Adapting the conceptual framework of Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH), five dimensions related to child health are represented in the index: material circumstances, behavioural factors, psychosocial factors, biological factors and the health system. In order to generate the weight of the variables, and taking into account the discrete nature of the data, principal component analysis (PCA) using polychoric correlations was employed in constructing the index. From this method five principal components were selected. The index was estimated using a weighted average of the retained components. A hierarchical cluster analysis was also carried out. The results show that the biggest differences in intermediary determinants of child health are associated with health care before and during delivery

    Flexicurity: Reconciling Social Security with Flexibility - Empirical Findings for Europe

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    It is empirically shown that the more flexible employment, the more it is precarious. For this purpose, two families of indices, of flexible work and of precarious work, are defined basing on the Fourth European Survey of Working Conditions 2005 by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions. Two methodologies of constructing composite indicators are applied, of the Hans Böckler Foundation, and of the OECD. Both methodologies give very similar results. After the indices have been constructed, the dependence between flexibility and precariousness of work is established by regression analysis with statistical certainty. Besides, it is revealed that the institutional regulation of employment does not necessarily imply the adequate factual effect. For instance, Turkey and Greece with a strict employment protection legislation have a high labour market flexibility due to a large fraction of employees who work with no contract. Among other things, it is shown that the employment flexibility has the strongest negative effect on the employability. It implies serious arguments against the recent reconsideration of the function of social security attempted by the European Commission within the flexicurity discourse. The suggested shift from income security towards a high employability cannot be consistently implemented. Our study provides empirical evidence that a high employability can be hardly attained under flexible employment. --Flexicurity,labour flexibility,precarious work,composite indicators,European Commission,European Employment Strategy

    Job quality in Europe: the North-South divide

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    This paper examines the job quality in Europe. It is based on the results of the Fourth European Foundation Survey on working conditions covering different dimensions including work organisation, job content, autonomy at work, aspects of worker dignity, working time and work-life balance, working conditions and safety in the workplace. The results point to the existence of great diversity in the job quality across Europe and the north-south divide. The job quality differences are related to the variety of social and institutional contexts. The countries of Southern Europe, with their social and institutional contexts falling within the scope of the Mediterranean model, generally present indicators below the European average contrasting Nordic countries having the best job quality indicators.Job Quality, North and South European Countries, Social and Institutional Context

    Regional Labour Market Differences in Serbia: Assessment and Policy Recommendations

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    Creating effective employment policy to combat rising unemployment and widening regional labour market differences is a major task facing Serbian economic policy makers. In this paper we argue that the best results would be achieved if a differentiated approach to regional labour markets is adopted, resulting in regionally specific employment policies. Our paper presents an original methodology which uses relevant statistical data from various sources (altogether 21 indicators) in order to create compound indices which serve as means of a comprehensive regional labour market classification. The main composite indices contain indicators standardised and grouped so that they reveal multifaceted features of the regions. The first classification distinguishes between indicators depicting regional economic situation and development prospects, and the second between those of general economic conditions, labour market situation and restructuring dynamics. Finally, we suggest a simple two-dimensional taxonomy of regions with regard to their labour market situation and prospects. While regions with positive composite indices of both situation and prospects in general do not require additional intervention, regions in other three quadrants are recommended specific policy mix of employment policy measures and active labour market programmes tailored according to their characteristics revealed by the analysis.Unemployment; Employment Policy; Regional Development; Transition; Assessment Methodology

    An Indicator for National Systems of Innovation - Methodology and Application to 17 Industrialized Countries

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    We develop a composite indicator measuring the performance of national innovation systems. The indicator takes into account both “hard” factors that are quantifiable (such as R&D spending, number of patents) and “soft” factors like the assessment of preconditions for innovation by managers. We apply the methodology to a set of 17 industrialized countries on a yearly basis between 2007 and 2009. The indicator combines results from public opinion surveys on the process of change, social capital, trust and science and technology to achieve an assessment of a country’s social climate for innovation. After calculating and ranking the innovation indictor scores for the 17 countries, we group them into three classes: innovation leader, middle group and end section. Using multiple sensitivity analysis approaches, we show that the indicator reacts robustly to different weights within these country groups. While leading countries like Switzerland, the USA and the Nordic countries have an innovation system with high scores and ranks in every sub indicator, the middle group consisting among others of Germany Japan, the UK and France, can be characterized by higher variation within ranks. In the end section, countries like Italy and Spain have bad scores for almost all indicators.National systems of innovation, Composite Indicators, Ranking

    Assessing the potential for knowledge-based development in transition countries. Bruegel Working Paper 2010/01, May 2010

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    This Working Paper by Bruegel Senior Fellow Reinhilde Veugelers examines the potential for a knowledge-based growth path in transition countries of central and eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. The paper looks closely at how total-factor productivity, a residual growth factor commonly interpreted as reflecting technological progress, drives growth rates in these economies which exhibit a much lower GDP per capita compared to the EU15 or the United States. By analysing the prerequisites for knowledge-based growth, the author explains why transition countries are at a systemic disadvantage relative to the EU15, US and Japan and have limited potential for knowledge-based growth

    An Indicator for National Systems of Innovation: Methodology and Application to 17 Industrialized Countries

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    We develop a composite indicator measuring the performance of national innovation systems. The indicator takes into account both "hard" factors that are quantifiable (such as R&D spending, number of patents) and "soft" factors like the assessment of preconditions for innovation by managers. We apply the methodology to a set of 17 industrialized countries on a yearly basis between 2007 and 2009. The indicator combines results from public opinion surveys on the process of change, social capital, trust and science and technology to achieve an assessment of a country's social climate for innovation. After calculating and ranking the innovation indictor scores for the 17 countries, we group them into three classes: innovation leader, middle group and end section. Using multiple sensitivity analysis approaches, we show that the indicator reacts robustly to different weights within these country groups. While leading countries like Switzerland, the USA and the Nordic countries have an innovation system with high scores and ranks in every sub indicator, the middle group consisting among others of Germany Japan, the UK and France, can be characterized by higher variation within ranks. In the end section, countries like Italy and Spain have bad scores for almost all indicators.National systems of innovation, composite indicators, ranking
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