Hi-tech Meets Low-tech

The core of Habitat is arranged by climate zone, from desert to tropical, temperate to arctic

Low carbon technology transfer: lessons from India and China

No description supplie

Survival of Newly Founded Businesses: A Log-Logistic Model Approach

Based on a longitudinal data base we test the "liability of adolescence" hypothesis which states that new firm hazard rates follow an inverted U-shaped pattern. That is, the hazard rate is low for the initial period; the end of adolescence is marked by a hazard maximum, from which then rate declines monotonically. We use a log-logistic model which shows that the "liability of adolescence" argument describes the hazard rates of new establishments for all two and three-digit industries fairly well. Further, the rate shows that the desegregation of industries matters, and considerable differences are found within and across two and three-digit low-, moderate- and high-tech industries. In assessing the effect of market environment conditions on risk we find that risk tends to be elevated in a relatively large number of two-digit low- and high-tech industries in the presence of scale economies, but it is substantially reduced in moderate-tech industries. By contrast, the hazard rate tends to be reduced for quite a large number of three-digit low-, moderate- and high-tech industries in comparison with the two-digit industries, indicating a longer adolescence. The influence of start-up size in reducing the hazard rate is apparently similar between two and three digit low-, moderate- and high-tech industries. The impact of market growth on the risk of failure is not much different for both two and three-digit low-, moderate- and high-tech industries. That is, market growth tends not to reduce the risk exposure. R&D intensity exerts influence interchangeably on the risk of failure confronting new establishments within the two and three-digit low-, moderate- and high-tech industries. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG - (Überleben von Neugründungen: Ein log-logistisches Modell) Basierend auf Längsschnittdaten testen wir die Hypothese der "Liability of Adolescene". Diese besagt, daß die Risikorate einem umgekehrten U-förmigen Verlauf folgt. Das bedeutet, daß die Risikorate in der Anfangsphase niedrig ist; das Ende der "Adolescence" durch ein Maximum der Risikorate bestimmt wird, welche danach monoton abfällt. Das log-logistische Modell stellt die Ergebnisse für alle zwei- und dreistelligen Industrien am besten dar. Ferner zeigen die Ergebnisse, daß das Niveau der Aggregation eine große Rolle spielt und bemerkenswerte Unterschiede zwischen und innerhalb zweistelliger und dreistelliger low-, moderate- und high-tech Industrien zu finden sind. Bei der Einschätzung des Effekts von Charakteristiken der Marktumgebung auf das Risiko finden wir, daß das Risiko dazu tendiert, in einer relativ großen Anzahl von zweistelligen low- und high-tech Industrien erhöht zu werden, wenn Skalenerträge vorliegen, sich jedoch substantiell in moderate-tech Industrien verringert. Im Gegensatz dazu tendiert die Hazard Rate zu einer Verringerung für eine recht große Zahl von dreistelligen low-, moderate- und higt-tech Industrien im Vergleich mit zweistelligen Industrien, was auf eine längere "Adolescence" hindeutet. Der Einfluß der Anfangsgröße auf die Verringerung der Hazard Rate ist offensichtlich ähnlich in zwei- und dreistelligen low-, moderate- und high-tech Industrien. Der Einfluß des Marktwachstums auf das Risiko ist nicht zu unterschiedlich für zwei- und dreistellige Industrien. Das bedeutet, arktwachstum tendiert nicht zu einer Verringerung des Risikos. Die FuE-Intensität übt einen Einfluß auf das Risiko sowohl in zwei- und dreistelligen low-, moderate- und hightech Industrien durch Neugründungen aus.airlines; market structure and pricing; econometric and statistical methods; special topics

New Low- and High-Tech Calendar Methods of Family Planning

Calendar-based methods are not usually considered effective or useful methods of family planning among health professionals. However, new “high-” and “low”-tech calendar methods have been developed, which are easy to teach, to use, and may be useful in helping couples avoid pregnancy. The low-tech models are based on a fixed-day calendar system. The high-tech models are based on monitoring urinary metabolites of female reproductive hormones. Both systems have high levels of satisfaction. This article describes these new models of family planning and the research on their effectiveness. The author proposes a new algorithm for determining the fertile phase of the menstrual cycle for either achieving or avoiding pregnancy

Minimum game plans : eco-design and low-tech fabrication in studios

This paper looks at eco-design and low-tech fabrication in studio

Endogenous Technological Capability,Trade Policy and Coordination Failure: A Reconsideration of Economic Take-Off(s)

Economic development may feature entry into high-tech industries (�high-tech industrialization�), or expansion along low-tech trajectories (�low-tech industrialization�). By endogenizing technological capability within a coordination failure framework, we uncover mechanisms that help explain the differences between these types of industrialization. The process of development is characterized through a sequence of take-offs. In the first instance, an �industrial take-off� triggers industrialization. Subsequently, a �technological take-off� activates investment in technological capability. If wages rise too rapidly after crossing the industrial take-off, the economy misses a window of opportunity, and the technological take-off is bypassed. In this case, industrialization proceeds without entry into high-tech industries, and the economy ends up with lower income than otherwise. Trade policy is an effective instrument to trigger industrialization.

Is Corporate R&D Investment in High-Tech Sectors More Effective? Some Guidelines for European Research Policy

This paper discusses the link between R&D and productivity across the European industrial and service sectors. The empirical analysis is based on both the European sectoral OECD data and on a unique micro longitudinal database consisting of 532 top European R&D investors. The main conclusions are as follows. First, the R&D stock has a significant positive impact on labour productivity; this general result is largely consistent with previous literature in terms of the sign, the significance and the magnitude of the estimated coefficients. More interestingly, both at sectoral and firm levels the R&D coefficient increases monotonically (both in significance and magnitude) when we move from the low-tech to the medium and high-tech sectors. This outcome means that corporate R&D investment is more effective in the high-tech sectors and this may need to be taken into account when designing policy instruments (subsidies, fiscal incentives, etc.) in support of private R&D. However, R&D investment is not the sole source of productivity gains; technological change embodied in gross investment is of comparable importance on aggregate and is the main determinant of productivity increase in the low-tech sectors. Hence, an economic policy aiming to increase productivity in the low-tech sectors should support overall capital formation.innovation, industrial policy, R&D, productivity, high-tech sectors

Low_Tech Innovation in a High-Tech Environment? The Case of the Food Industry in the Vienna Metropolitan Region

This paper explores the opportunities for low-tech innovations in regional high-tech contexts. The literature suggests that traditional sectors tend to be only weakly integrated in such socio-institutional environments, because the specific innovation mode of low-tech industries is not compatible with the institutional framework of high-tech. Focusing on the empirical case of the food industry situated in the Vienna metropolitan region, the paper provides evidence that the link between old industries and their high-tech contexts may be more complex than commonly thought. Drawing on 20 face-to-face interviews with local companies, knowledge providers (universities and other research organisations) and industry experts it is highlighted that strong and weak forms of integration in the regional innovation system (RIS) co-exist, depending on the specific RIS dimension under consideration. Innovative companies in the local food sector, thus, embed themselves in a selective way in their regional institutional context. They make use of the scientific competences available within the RIS whilst at the same time they tend to “bypass” the RIS and tap into knowledge sources located outside the region.

Private money: everything old is new again

For more than 200 years, private money systems have operated in the United States, solving problems similar to those confronting innovative electronic money systems. The high-tech newcomers may be able to benefit from the experience of the low-tech veterans.Money