The Triple Helix Perspective of Innovation Systems

Alongside the neo-institutional model of networked relations among universities, industries, and governments, the Triple Helix can be provided with a neo-evolutionary interpretation as three selection environments operating upon one another: markets, organizations, and technological opportunities. How are technological innovation systems different from national ones? The three selection environments fulfill social functions: wealth creation, organization control, and organized knowledge production. The main carriers of this system-industry, government, and academia-provide the variation both recursively and by interacting among them under the pressure of competition. Empirical case studies enable us to understand how these evolutionary mechanisms can be expected to operate in historical instance. The model is needed for distinguishing, for example, between trajectories and regimes

Vulnerability of Microfinance to Strategic Default and Covariate Shocks: Evidence from Pakistan

This paper investigates the repayment behavior of microfinance borrowers in Pakistan using a unique dataset of about 45,000 installments/repayments covering 2,945 microfinance borrower households over the period 1998-2007. In early 2005, the microfinance institution for these borrowers adopted a new system with strict enforcement of punishment against repayment delays/defaults. This reform led to a healthy situation with almost zero default rates, overcoming the previous problem of frequent defaults. We hypothesize that strategic default under the joint liability mechanism--if one group member is hit by a negative shock and faces difficulty in repayment, the other members who are able to repay may decide to default as well, instead of helping the unlucky member--was encouraged by weak enforcement of dynamic incentives and responsible for the pre-reform failure. As evidence for this interpretation, we show that a borrower’s delay in installment repayment was correlated with other group members’ repayment delays, beyond the level explained by possible correlation of project failures due to locally covariate shocks during the pre-reform period. The post-reform period is divided into two sub-periods by an earthquake in October 2005. Analysis of repayment behavior in the post-reform period yields the results that suggest that (1) the relative success under the new system was because of the suppression of strategic behavior among group members, thereby allowing joint liability schemes to function as individual lending schemes de facto and (2) the earthquake only marginally affected the new system in terms of repayment delays.group lending, joint liability, contingent renewal, strategic default, covariate shocks

Sustaining urban growth through innovative capacity : Beijing and Shanghai in comparison

The authors examine the diverse prospects of innovative sectors in Beijing and Shanghai using available indicators and data collected for this study through surveys. Beijing is the first choice for companies locating in China, but foreign employees prefer Shanghai for living convenience and cultural amenities. While Shanghai lags behind Beijing in knowledge creation and the generation of startup companies in the innovative sectors, it takes the lead in the commercialization of technological innovations and the development of creative cultural industries. The municipal authorities of Beijing and Shanghai have improved the innovation environment of the cities, but certain elements still stunt the growth of innovative industries, which cannot be removed easily. Three kinds of knowledge-intensive enterprises included in innovative sectors in the survey are high-tech manufacturers, knowledge-intensive business services, and creative content providers. The survey found that the clustering of the firms arose from the attraction of preferential policies and the purchase by governments or state-owned enterprises of information technology products. The survey shows that interaction among firms is inadequate in the knowledge-based industrial clusters in both Beijing and Shanghai. Hence, it may be some time before clustering leads to substantial gains in collective efficiency for innovative industry in Beijing and Shanghai.ICT Policy and Strategies,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Water and Industry,Environmental Economics&Policies,Banks&Banking Reform

Options for reshaping the railway

In many countries the mismatch between what the railways offer and what the customers want has caused significant economic inefficiency and severe financial strains for the railways and their government owners. The concept of the railway as a monolithic entity is so strong in many countries as to be a roadblock against reshaping the railway. The authors explore four options which can be used to reshape the railways. First is the lines of business option which improves accountability and responsiveness to markets. The second is the competitive access option which introduces intramodal competition in selected markets, while maintaining unitary control over most railway operations. The third is the"wholesaler"option which would accomplish an excellent marketing job, but the actual operation would remain in monolithic hands. Finally there is the"toll rail enterprise"option which comes closest to reflecting a theoretical model of marketing effectiveness, however it would generate potential operating conflicts and higher transaction costs. The authors show that one generalization holds true in all circumstances: a monolithic railway does not function well in a market economy in competition with privately owned, properly regulated competitors - especially trucking. The authors point out that solutions will vary, but the universal objective as an economy becomes more market driven is to make the railway more market sensitive.Railways Transport,Roads&Highways,Environmental Economics&Policies,Banks&Banking Reform,ICT Policy and Strategies

HISTORY URBANISM RESILIENCE VOLUME 06:

The 17th conference (2016, Delft) of the International Planning History Society (IPHS) and its proceedings place presentations from different continents and on varied topics side by side, providing insight into state-of-the art research in the field of planning history and offering a glimpse of new approaches, themes, papers and books to come. VOLUME 06: Scales and System

Environmental Games and Queue Models

This paper considers a pollution and control game which uses a queuing framework. This framework allows an accounting of pollution events, environmental pollution quality and the application of controls to maintain a desirable quality of the environment. A number of examples are used to highlight the approach and demonstrates both its theoretical and practical usefulness.Environment; Control; Quality; Queuing

The Process of Conflict Resolution: A Case Study of Ichinose Disaster Management Conflict, Tottori Prefecture, Japan

ゲーム理論に基づいたコンフリクト解決のグラフモデルを、鳥取県智頭町市瀬集落において進行中のコンフリクト分析に適用した。本コンフリクトは、県が災害緩和のための行動をとるよう命じたのに対して、地域企業がこれを拒絶したときに生じた。対立が生じた原因と、議論の進展の過程を理解するためにこのコンフリクトを2段階に分けて分析した。得られた均衡解は、本ゲームにおいて可能な解決シナリオを明示するのに有用である。効果的なコミュニケーションとプレイヤーの能力が、状況を改善するために不可欠の要因であることが示された。Graph model for conflict resolution, a game theoretic based approach is used to analyze the on going conflict in Ichinose community, Chizu Town, Tottori Prefecture, Japan. The conflict arose when the local company refused to take a possible action for disaster mitigation as ordered by the prefecture government. Two different phases of this conflict are analyzed in order to understand why the confrontation occurred and how the disputes evolved over time. The equilibria help to manifest the possible solution scenario in this game. It is recommended that the effective communication, player’s capability are essential factors which can help to move the situation in a better way.ゲーム理論に基づいたコンフリクト解決のグラフモデルを、鳥取県智頭町市瀬集落において進行中のコンフリクト分析に適用した。本コンフリクトは、県が災害緩和のための行動をとるよう命じたのに対して、地域企業がこれを拒絶したときに生じた。対立が生じた原因と、議論の進展の過程を理解するためにこのコンフリクトを2段階に分けて分析した。得られた均衡解は、本ゲームにおいて可能な解決シナリオを明示するのに有用である。効果的なコミュニケーションとプレイヤーの能力が、状況を改善するために不可欠の要因であることが示された。Graph model for conflict resolution, a game theoretic based approach is used to analyze the on going conflict in Ichinose community, Chizu Town, Tottori Prefecture, Japan. The conflict arose when the local company refused to take a possible action for disaster mitigation as ordered by the prefecture government. Two different phases of this conflict are analyzed in order to understand why the confrontation occurred and how the disputes evolved over time. The equilibria help to manifest the possible solution scenario in this game. It is recommended that the effective communication, player’s capability are essential factors which can help to move the situation in a better way

HISTORY URBANISM RESILIENCE: Book of Abstracts

The 17th conference (2016, Delft) of the International Planning History Society (IPHS) and its proceedings place presentations from different continents and on varied topics side by side, providing insight into state-of-the art research in the field of planning history and offering a glimpse of new approaches, themes, papers and books to come. Book of Abstracts

IT Based Knowledge Capability and Commercialization of Innovations: Modeling the impacts on ambidexterity and absorptive capacity

In seeking answer to the question what role can IT based knowledge Capability play in commercialization of innovation, we looked at potential and realized absorptive capacity and ambidexterity . We posit that a firm\u27s absorptive capacity and ambidexterity (ability to explore and exploit) affect its ability to commercialize innovations. Further, absorptive capacity too can be an antecedent to ambidexterity. IT based knowledge capability (which is an instantiation of IT capability) is found to positively moderate the relationship between ambidexterity and commercialization of innovations, and also is an antecedent to potential and realized absorptive capacity. We tie the seemingly isolated bits of literature together into an integrative theoretical and tested it. We assumed the presence of necessary networks and resources that lead to absorptive capacity and ambidexterity