From new imported inputs to new exported products. Firm-level evidence from Sweden

This paper investigates the determinants of the propensity of firms to export new products, and focuses on the role of new imported inputs. Importing offers access to new technologies and better combination of inputs that can lead to new or improved products for the export markets. Based on a sample of more than 14,000 Swedish manufacturing firms over the period 2001-2012, we show that importing new inputs is a key determinant of firms' propensity to add new products to their export portfolio, even after controlling for multinationality,patenting activity, productivity and a number of other firm characteristics. This is mainly due to the import of new intermediate inputs and it is stronger for smaller firms

THE ECONOMICS OF THE LIGHT ECONOMY. GLOBALIZATION, SKILL BIASED TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE AND SLOW GROWTH

The paper provides an interpretative framework and structured empirical evidence of the processes leading to the emergence of a light and slow growth economy in advanced countries. The interpretative framework rests upon the grafting of a) the Schumpeterian hypothesis about the role of creative reaction as the main determinant of the rate of technological change b) in a dynamic version of the Hecksher-Ohlin analysis with c) the Kuznets approach on the strict complementarity of structural and technological changes, and d) the new approach about the direction of technological change biased towards the most intensive use of locally abundant production factors. The analysis of the stylized facts and the empirical evidence confirms that the twin globalization of product and capital markets brought about by the entry of new labor abundant countries in international markets had profound effects on advanced countries leading to the introduction of skill biased technological change with the consequent decline of the role of the manufacturing industry and the emergence of a strong knowledge intensive business service sector. The new biased direction of technological change accelerated the substitution of both capital and unskilled labor with skilled workers with the ultimate effect of reducing the stock of working capital and hence the rates of growth of advanced economies. The slow growth is a physiological feature of the new emerging light economies that rely upon knowledge intensive but capital saving technologies

The mechanisms of knowledge governance: State owned enterprises and Italian economic growth, 1950–1994

We investigate the mechanisms of knowledge governance and show that the actual economic benefits stemming from knowledge externalities depend on the characteristics of (a) the sources of such externalities, (b) the context in which spillovers take place, (c) the potential users of the externalities. In the Italian experience of 1950-1994, state owned enterprises (SOE) have been one of the most effective mechanisms of knowledge governance. Italian SOE were effective sources of knowledge externalities as they imitated the US corporate model of intra-muros R&D laboratories. Research activities carried out by SOE were mainly based in upstream industries, with multiple user-producer interactions with firms active in downstream industries, and aimed at implementing a knowledge base characterized by high levels of generic content and a wide scope of application. These characteristics helped disseminate relevant knowledge externalities that played a positive role on total factor productivity in the second part of the XX century in Italy

Why do innovators not apply for trademarks? the role of informational asymmetries and collaborative innovation

This paper analyses the underlying reasons why innovators do not apply for trademarks for all of their valuable inventions. Using a unique database of UK innovations linked to innovative firms, the empirical analysis highlights the many ways that firms can alleviate information asymmetries and the constraints imposed by collaborative innovation without taking recourse to trademarks. When information asymmetries are not at stake, i.e. when firms use an already existing trademark for their innovations or when they use intermediaries for its distribution, trademarks no longer serve their purpose, leading firms to avoid using it for their innovations. Open innovation also decreases the incentive to trademark, especially when the innovative process involves users, mainly because of property rights issues or because the innovator prefers to use the clients’ own distribution channels

Режимный корпус № 1 на 157 человек СИЗО УФСИН РФ по Республике Хакассия г. Абакан

This chapter provides an extensive review of the existing empirical literature that analyses the impact of (mostly high-skilled) migration on the innovative performances of firms, regions, and countries. The authors discuss the different features of the immigrant labour force, such as education, occupation, age, and internal ethnic diversity, that play a role in the contribution of immigrants to innovation. By categorizing the existing studies on the basis of the definition of innovation and migration that they adopt, as well as on the specific level of analysis chosen (at the firm, regional, or country level), the chapter also engages in an in-depth discussion about the policy implications that can be drawn from the existing evidence. Finally, the chapter outlines some suggestions about the implementation of appropriate immigration policies, able to truly foster innovation in European countries

Risk of Preeclampsia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes after Heterologous Egg Donation: Hypothesizing a Role for Kidney Function and Comorbidity

Background and objectives: Preeclampsia (PE) is a risk factor for kidney diseases; egg-donation (ED) increasingly used for overcoming fertility reduction, is a risk factor for PE. CKD is also a risk factor for PE. However, kidney function is not routinely assessed in ED pregnancies. Objective of the study is seeking to assess the importance of kidney function and maternal comorbidity in ED pregnancies. Design, setting, participants and measurements. Design: retrospective observational study from clinical charts. Setting: Sant’Anna Hospital, Turin, Italy (over 7000 deliveries per year). Selection: cases: 296 singleton pregnancies from ED (gestation > 24 weeks), who delivered January 2008–February 2019. Controls were selected from the TOrino Cagliari Observational Study (1407 low-risk singleton pregnancies 2009–2016). Measurements: Standard descriptive analysis. Logistic multiple regression analysis tested: PE; pregnancy-induced hypertension; preterm delivery; small for gestational age; explicatory variables: age; BMI; parity; comorbidity (kidney diseases; immunologic diseases; thyroid diseases; other). Delivery over time was analyzed according to Kaplan Meier; ROC (Relative Operating Characteristic) curves were tested for PE and pre-term delivery, employing serum creatinine and e-GFR as continuous variables. The analysis was performed with SPSS v.14.0 and MedCalc v.18. Results: In keeping with ED indications, maternal age was high (44 years). Comorbidity was common: at least one potential comorbid factor was found in about 40% of the cases (kidney disease: 3.7%, immunologic 6.4%, thyroid disease 18.9%, other-including hypertension, previous neoplasia and all other relevant diseases—10.8%). No difference in age, parity and BMI is observed in ED women with and without comorbidity. Patients with baseline renal disease or “other” comorbidity had a higher risk of developing PE or preterm delivery after ED. PE was recorded in 23% vs. 9%, OR: 2.513 (CI 1.066–5.923; p = 0.039); preterm delivery: 30.2% vs. 14%, OR 2.565 (CI: 1.198–5.488; p = 0.044). Limiting the analysis to 124 cases (41.9%) with available serum creatinine measurement, higher serum creatinine (dichotomised at the median: 0.67 mg/dL) was correlated with risk of PE (multivariate OR 17.277 (CI: 5.125–58.238)) and preterm delivery (multivariate OR 2.545 (CI: 1.100–5.892). Conclusions: Within the limits of a retrospective analysis, this study suggests that the risk of PE after ED is modulated by comorbidity. While the cause effect relationship is difficult to ascertain, the relationship between serum creatinine and outcomes suggests that more attention is needed to baseline kidney function and comorbidity

Outcomes of pregnancies after kidney transplantation: lessons learned from CKD. A comparison of transplanted, nontransplanted chronic kidney disease patients and low-risk pregnancies: a multicenter nationwide analysis.

BACKGROUND: Kidney transplantation (KT) may restore fertility in CKD. The reasons why materno-foetal outcomes are still inferior to the overall population are only partially known. Comparison with the CKD population may offer some useful insights for management and counselling.Aim of this study was to analyse the outcomes of pregnancy after KT, compared with a large population of non-transplanted CKD patients and with low-risk control pregnancies, observed in Italy the new millennium. METHODS: We selected 121 live-born singletons after KT (Italian study group of kidney in pregnancy, national coverage about 75%), 610 live-born singletons in CKD and 1418 low-risk controls recruited in 2 large Italian Units, in the same period (2000-2014). The following outcomes were considered: maternal and foetal death; malformations; preterm delivery; small for gestational age baby (SGA); need for the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU); doubling of serum creatinine or increase in CKD stage. Data were analysed according to kidney diseases, renal function (staging according to CKD-EPI), hypertension, maternal age, partity, ethnicity. RESULTS: Materno-foetal outcomes are less favourable in CKD and KT as compared with the low-risk population. CKD stage and hypertension are important determinants of results. KT patients with e-GFR >90 have worse outcomes compared with CKD stage 1 patients; the differences level off when only CKD patients affected by glomerulonephritis or systemic diseases ('progressive CKD') are compared with KT. In the multivariate analysis, risk for preterm and early-preterm delivery was linked to CKD stage (2-5 versus 1: RR 3.42 and 3.78) and hypertension (RR 3.68 and 3.16) while no difference was associated with being a KT or a CKD patient. CONCLUSIONS: The materno-foetal outcomes in patients with kidney transplantation are comparable with those of nontransplanted CKD patients with similar levels of kidney function impairment and progressive and/or immunologic kidney diseas

Research needs in allergy: an EAACI position paper, in collaboration with EFA

Abstract In less than half a century, allergy, originally perceived as a rare disease, has become a major public health threat, today affecting the lives of more than 60 million people in Europe, and probably close to one billion worldwide, thereby heavily impacting the budgets of public health systems. More disturbingly, its prevalence and impact are on the rise, a development that has been associated with environmental and lifestyle changes accompanying the continuous process of urbanization and globalization. Therefore, there is an urgent need to prioritize and concert research efforts in the field of allergy, in order to achieve sustainable results on prevention, diagnosis and treatment of this most prevalent chronic disease of the 21 st century. The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) is the leading professional organization in the field of allergy, promoting excellence in clinical care, education, training and basic and translational research, all with the ultimate goal of improving the health of allergic patients. The European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients' Associations (EFA) is a non-profit network of allergy, asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD) patients' organizations. In support of their missions, the present EAACI Position Paper, in collaboration with EFA, highlights the most important research needs in the field of allergy to serve as key recommendations for future research funding at the national and European levels. Although allergies may involve almost every organ of the body and an array of diverse external factors act as triggers, there are several common themes that need to be prioritized in research efforts. As in many other chronic diseases, effective prevention, curative treatment and accurate, rapid diagnosis represent major unmet needs. Detailed phenotyping/endotyping stands out as widely required in order to arrange or re-categorize clinical syndromes into more coherent, uniform and treatment-responsive groups. Research efforts to unveil the basic pathophysiologic pathways and mechanisms, thus leading to the comprehension and resolution of the pathophysiologic complexity of allergies will allow for the design of novel patient-oriented diagnostic and treatment protocols. Several allergic diseases require well-controlled epidemiological description and surveillance, using disease registries, pharmacoeconomic evaluation, as well as large biobanks. Additionally, there is a need for extensive studies to bring promising new biotechnological innovations, such as biological agents, vaccines of modified allergen molecules and engineered components for allergy diagnosis, closer to clinical practice. Finally, particular attention should be paid to the difficult-to-manage, precarious and costly severe disease forms and/or exacerbations. Nonetheless, currently arising treatments, mainly in the fields of immunotherapy and biologicals, hold great promise for targeted and causal management of allergic conditions. Active involvement of all stakeholders, including Patient Organizations and policy makers are necessary to achieve the aims emphasized herein