New Models of Technology Assessment for Development

This report explores the role that ‘new models’ of technology assessment can play in improving the lives of poor and vulnerable populations in the developing world. The ‘new models’ addressed here combine citizen and decision-maker participation with technical expertise. They are virtual and networked rather than being based in a single office of technology assessment (as was the case in the United States in the 1970s-90s). They are flexible enough to address issues across disciplines and are increasingly transnational or global in their reach and scope. The report argues that these new models of technology assessment can make a vital contribution to informing policies and strategies around innovation, particularly in developing regions. They are most beneficial if they enable the broadening out of inputs to technology assessment, and the opening up of political debate around possible directions of technological change and their interactions with social and environmental systems. Beyond the process of technology assessment itself, the report argues that governance systems within which these processes are embedded play an important role in determining the impact and effectiveness of technology assessment. Finally, the report argues for training and capacity-building in technology assessment methodologies in developing countries, and support for internationally co-ordinated technology assessment efforts to address global and regional development challenges

Optimal Quantization of TV White Space Regions for a Broadcast Based Geolocation Database

In the current paradigm, TV white space databases communicate the available channels over a reliable Internet connection to the secondary devices. For places where an Internet connection is not available, such as in developing countries, a broadcast based geolocation database can be considered. This geolocation database will broadcast the TV white space (or the primary services protection regions) on rate-constrained digital channel. In this work, the quantization or digital representation of protection regions is considered for rate-constrained broadcast geolocation database. Protection regions should not be declared as white space regions due to the quantization error. In this work, circular and basis based approximations are presented for quantizing the protection regions. In circular approximation, quantization design algorithms are presented to protect the primary from quantization error while minimizing the white space area declared as protected region. An efficient quantizer design algorithm is presented in this case. For basis based approximations, an efficient method to represent the protection regions by an `envelope' is developed. By design this envelope is a sparse approximation, i.e., it has lesser number of non-zero coefficients in the basis when compared to the original protection region. The approximation methods presented in this work are tested using three experimental data-sets.Comment: 8 pages, 12 figures, submitted to IEEE DySPAN (Technology) 201

Issues in Development of Special Economic Zones in Russia: the Case of Titanium Valley

In Russia, industrial development has significantly slowed down for the past 20 years and the federal government strives to seek new methods to attract foreign direct investments (FDIs) and stimulate economic growth. Special Economic Zones (SEZs) are utilised by governments to develop and diversify export activities, increase employment, attract investments and launch technology exchange. SEZs have been established since 2006 in Russia, but the majority of them struggle in development for some reasons. This paper investigates the issues in the implementation of SEZs in Russian regions with Titanium Valley Zone, as the case of analysis. The carried out study in the form of interviews revealed that the core obstacle in developing these initiatives is high state interference and participation in business activities that imply time-consuming bureaucratic procedures, managerial and organisational incompetence among policy-makers and lack of in-time funding. As a result, SEZ policies fail to achieve initial objectives and do not contribute to the sustainable economic development to an expected degree of the regions, in which they have been implemented

Demographic aspects of the development of human capital in Russia and its regions

In the present paper, the contemporary demographic situation that has developed in Russia – which can be described in terms of a demographic crisis – is analysed. One of its most salient characteristics consists in the negative qualitative changes that are occurring in the population, many of them due to the consequences of modern information technology. The negative qualitative changes in the population, which essentially began during the second half of the 1980s and have increased in present-day Russia, prevent the development of human capital in the country. This being the case, the authors give their own interpretation of the concept of “human capital”. The purpose of the work is to justify the primacy of the demographic factor in the formation and development of human capital. Migration in the form of a brain drain also has a negative impact on the development of human capital in Russia and its regions. Confirmation of the above-mentioned thesis is provided in a human development index, calculated for the country as a whole and for its regions. In the work, the methods of demographic analysis, the demographic indicators and indexes, which can be used to analyse the qualitative characteristics of the population, are used. The authors arrive at the conclusion that it is impossible at the present stage to develop human capital without first solving the demographic problems. This is especially true for some regions of Russia. A greater awareness of this will contribute to a more efficient management of demographic processes, which will, in turn, guarantee the positive development of human capital, strengthening and developing the Russian economy and society as a whole

Measures of Science & Technology in Ecuador

One of the structural problems in Latin-American has been the lower innovative capacity and lower generation of economically exploitable knowledge. This phenomenon has been produced by the absence of government’s incentives and strategies in order to be competitive inside the Knowledge Based Economy. More concretely, political, institutional and social factors have contributed negatively within this reality. As a consequence, the knowledge generation in this region is insufficient not only to satisfy its necessities but also to be competitive in the global context. At difference, the developing regions have recognized the significance impact of Science and Technology (S&T) and Education in their sustainable growth. In the Latin-American context, this analysis requires robust indicators that help to evidence the causes of this problematic. In this respect, the absence of harmonized politics and common variables that allows studying the evolution of S&T in the Latin-American region is the main limitation for this analysis. Based on that, this report brings an exploratory analysis that allows identifying the critical factors and the possible solutions of this S&T problematic. In parallel, the case of the National Innovation System implanted in Ecuador is presented and evaluated.Science, Technology, Entrepreneurship, Innovation

Can Technology Facilitate Socio-economic Development? Evidence From A Micro-enterprise Context

Micro-enterprises have the potential to serve as the seedbed for economic development. Statistics reveal that in both developing countries and also within underserved regions in developed countries, these very small businesses are a ubiquitous form of business. Even if it is not the primary engine of growth, the micro-enterprise sector is very important for broad-based development, and for basic household economic survival. Yet many micro-enterprises are hindered from growing and functioning efficiently by an inability to use information technology effectively and traditional theories on technology adoption and use do not adequately explain the use of technology in the micro-enterprise context. In order to address this gap, this research investigated the effects of IT interventions in a micro-enterprise on development. This was carried out through an inductive analysis of qualitative data collected through action research methodology within an in-depth case study

O modelo de inovação aberta no apoio ao desenvolvimento regional - O caso do Proeta.

Open Innovation is a collaborative organizational strategy to stimulate regional development. Based on this model, Embrapa created Proeta, where it transfers technology to newly created companies with the support of incubators. This study aimed to present the PROETA’ actions to stimulate the entrepreneurship and regional development through the open innovation model. The research is descriptive to multiple case study. It was observed that Proeta has assisted in regional developing by promoting actors integration, technology transfer that increase value to traditional products, increase of the competitiveness of the industry and search for new opportunities through knowledge exchange among brazilian regions. The results indicate the Proeta’s potential to encourage innovation and regional development, with partnerships among institutions, showing the consolidation of the opened innovation model that has been implemented

e-Mahtari – Improving Maternal Healthcare in Rural India through Information and Communication Technologies

People living in rural areas in developing nations have limited access to quality healthcare. According to a recent United Nations report, most developing nations will not reach their millennium development goals related to maternal and child care. Lack of infrastructure creates a challenge in deploying information and communication technologies (ICT) to extend the reach of healthcare to rural areas. This study reports on a successful implementation of a low cost innovative mobile phone-based health information system to improve maternal and child care in rural India. A case study research method was used with the Practice Lens providing the theoretical framework for the investigation. The findings enrich the ICT for development (ICT4D) literature, and inform health policy makers and technology designers interested in creating innovative solutions to healthcare problems in resource-starved regions of the world

Social enterprises as agents of technological change : case studies from Tanzania

The thesis constructs a concept of “technology localization” towards developing new or modified explanations for technological change processes. Technology localization is described as a main variable in the pursuit of technological autonomy in developing societies, where autonomy refers to the capacity for self-generating, transferring and managing technologies in support of economic and human development. This thesis examines 6 case studies of technology-oriented social enterprises in rural regions of Tanzania. Research shows that social enterprises play a positive role as agents of technological change. Attention is drawn to the value of regulations that accommodate social enterprise and acknowledged business models.Doctor of Philosoph