Science and Technology Cooperation in Cross-border Regions::A Proximity Approach with Evidence for Northern Europe

Given the sheer number of cross-border regions (CBRs) within the EU, their socio-economic importance has been recognized both by policy-makers and academics. Recently, the novel concept of cross-border regional innovation system has been introduced to guide the assessment of integration processes in CBRs. A central focus of this concept is set on analyzing the impact of varying types of proximity (cognitive, technological, etc.) on cross-border cooperation. Previous empirical applications of the concept have, however, relied on individual case studies and varying methodologies, thus complicating and constraining comparisons between different CBRs. Here a broader view is provided by comparing 28 Northern European CBRs. The empirical analysis utilizes economic, science and technology (S&T) statistics to construct proximity indicators and measures S&T integration in the context of cross-border cooperation. The findings from descriptive statistics and exploratory count data regressions show that technological and cognitive proximity measures are significantly related to S&T cooperation activities (cross-border co-publications and co-patents). Taken together, our empirical approach underlines the feasibility of utilizing the proximity approach for comparative analyses in CBR settings

The European venture capital and private equity country attractiveness index(es)

We calculate composite indexes to compare the attractiveness of 25 European countries for institutional investments into the Venture Capital and Private Equity asset class. To achieve this we use 42 different criteria and propose an aggregation structure that allows for benchmarking on more granular levels. The United Kingdom leads our ranking, followed by Ireland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway. While Germany is slightly above the average European attractiveness level, the scores for France, Italy, Spain, and Greece are rather disappointing. Our analyses reveal that while the United Kingdom is similar to the other European countries with respect to many criteria, there are two major differences which ultimately affect its attractiveness: its investor protection and corporate governance rules; and the size and liquidity of its capital market. The state of the capital market is likewise a proxy for the professionalism of the financial community, deal flow and exit opportunities. We determine a reasonable correlation between our attractiveness index scores and actual Venture Capital and Private Equity fundraising activities and prove the robustness of our calculations. Our findings across all the European countries suggest that while investor protection and capital markets are in fact very important determinants of attractiveness, there are numerous other criteria to consider.Venture Capital; Private Equity; Alternative Asset; International Asset Allocation;

Immigration and innovation in European regions

The pooling of people with diverse backgrounds in particular areas may boost the creation of new ideas, knowledge spillovers, entrepreneurship and economic growth. In this paper we measure the impact of the size, skills and diversity of immigration on innovativeness of host regions. For this purpose we construct a panel of data on 170 regions in Europe (NUTS 2 level) for the period 1991-2001. Innovation outcomes are measured by means of the number and types of patent applications. Given the geographical concentration and subsequent diffusion of innovation activity, and the spatial selectivity of immigrant settlement patterns, we take account of spatial dependence and of endogeneity of immigrant settlement in the econometric modelling. We find that an increase in patent applications in a region is associated with (i) net immigration; (ii) the share of foreigners in the population of the region; (iii) the average skill level of the immigrants; and (iv) the cultural diversity of the immigrants. The magnitude of these effects varies between types of patents

Does Technology Readiness and Acceptance Induce more Adoption of E-Government? Applying the UTAUT and TRI on an Indonesian Complaint-Based Application

Most researches relating to the success of information and technology system application focus on two separate matters, namely technology readiness and technology acceptance. Both perspectives are used to observe how technology is adopted by users. However, very few studies test them both concurrently in a single research. This research, therefore, aims to conduct testing on the two concurrently without separating them. This article attempts to put two differing theories to the test, which are the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and the Technology Readiness Index (TRI), in the context of e-government that is carried out via the Jakarta Smart City Program. To be more specific, the aJakarta Smart City Program analyzed in this study is the Qlue and CRM (Citizen Management Relationship) applications. The research method employed in this article is the quantitative method, wherein 225 respondents participated in this research to assess the level of technology readiness, the gathered data were subsequently processed by using the descriptive statistics analysis technique. Furthermore, 185 respondents also participated in observing how behavior influences the intention to use technology. These data were processed by using multiple linear regression analysis. Research results indicate that Jakarta SCR citizens’ technology readiness level can still be categorized as low and is identified as belonging to the Low Technology Readiness group, with a total TRI value of 2.7. Additionally, this research also shows that performance expectancy (PE), effort expectancy (EE), social influence (SI), and facilitating conditions (FC) have positive and significant influence on the dependent variable, namely the behavioral intention to use the system (BIUS)

Differences between European Regional Innovation Systems in Terms of Technological and Economic Characteristics

innovation, networks

An exploration of the relationship between community college entrepreneurial orientation, enrollment management orientation, and performance

Community colleges are facing new economic realities in the midst of growing demand for accountability. To meet these challenges, college leaders take a strategic posture rooted in an entrepreneurial behavior. However, the relationship between entrepreneurialism and overall performance in a community college setting remained a gap in the existing body of literature. The purpose of this survey research was to explore the relationship between community college entrepreneurial orientation, enrollment management orientation, and performance. The study measured entrepreneurial orientation using a modified instrument, and enrollment management orientation was measured from a newly developed item set. Lastly, an objective measure of performance data were acquired from IPEDS. Study participants were community college presidents representing institutions from 39 states across the U.S. The findings suggest that entrepreneurial orientation is a significant predictor of enrollment management orientation. However, entrepreneurial orientation and enrollment management orientation were not significant predictors of objective performance. The implications for future research, policy, and practice are discussed

Innovation and Microenterprises Growth in Ethiopia

This paper addresses two prominent issues on the development of small enterprises in Africa. Which factors inhibit or foster innovation activities in small enterprises? Do innovators create more jobs? We use a large set of microenterprises survey data from Ethiopia that comprise 1000 observations with ten and fewer workers. The analysis shows that firms larger in size and in manufacturing are more likely to engage in innovative activities. Among the human capital variables vocational training is found to have a strong effect on the innovation activity. However, firms owned by female and old entrepreneurs are less likely to get involved in innovation. In an extended model of firm growth determinants that includes innovation indicators we found strong evidence that innovators grow faster than non-innovators. Firm growth is also affected by other factors such as the firm's initial size, age, access to finance, sector, and owner character. Our estimation results provide supporting evidence to the stylized fact that the smaller, younger, and less capital constrained firms grow faster than their counterparts. Firms in manufacturing also grow faster than other sectors.micro and small enterprises, firm growth, innovation, developing countries, Ethiopia

Institutional environment, innovative entrepreneurial entry and venture capital financing

We analyse the determinants of high growth expectations entrepreneurial entry (HGE) using individual data drawn on working age population, based on the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) surveys for the 1998-2004 period. Individual level explanatory variables are combined with country-level factors. Our results suggest that availability of venture capital and intellectual proper rights protection are strong predictors of HGE. In addition, we also find that innovative start-ups are associated with highest growth expectations in countries with extensive supply of venture capital and strongest intellectual property rights. Once we introduce venture capital, we detect no significant effects of other elements of financial systems on high-powered entry