Los procesos de desarrollo local desde la perspectiva europea: génesis y transformación

El artículo muestra cómo los procesos de desarrollo local se han articulado desde la participación de la población local y la introducción de innovaciones en la función de producción territorial. La cooperación, el cambio institucional y un sistema urbano adecuado han sido las claves de la aparición de los sistemas productivos locales. Tras una breve discusión conceptual sobre diferentes aspectos del desarrollo, se realiza el análisis con las principales teorías basadas en los estudios de casos europeos, así como de las políticas implementadas para conseguir el mantenimiento de la ventaja competitiva alcanzada en el paradigma de la globalización, con diferente suerte, según la capacidad de adaptación de cada territorio al entorno. Las conclusiones muestran cómo la ventaja competitiva alcanzada debe estimularse con la continua adaptación local a la competencia de otros ámbitos territoriales

ICT, global markets and small firms in less-developed regions in Europe - the case of mature sectors in a Spanish Province

Globalisation affects the smallest specialized companies in mature sectors, especially in the less developed regions in Europe. In these cases, the competitive advantage that these industries had achieved in the international market due to low costs of the factors has been broken. One way to improve its competitive position is an active participation in the international market through communication and information technologies along the productive chain. This paper describes these specialized companies in European mature sectors. Specially, we examine the of the province of Jaén (Andalusia). The results have been obtained surveying a hundred of companies –food, clothes and furniture sectors. These results show how these enterprises use communication and information technologies to adapt its competitive capacity in the new global market.

Los procesos de desarrollo local desde la perspectiva europea: génesis y transformación

El artículo muestra cómo los procesos de desarrollo local se han articulado desde la participación de la población local y la introducción de innovaciones en la función de producción territorial. La cooperación, el cambio institucional y un sistema urbano adecuado han sido las claves de la aparición de los sistemas productivos locales. Tras una breve discusión conceptual sobre diferentes aspectos del desarrollo, se realiza el análisis con las principales teorías basadas en los estudios de casos europeos, así como de las políticas implementadas para conseguir el mantenimiento de la ventaja competitiva alcanzada en el paradigma de la globalización, con diferente suerte, según la capacidad de adaptación de cada territorio al entorno. Las conclusiones muestran cómo la ventaja competitiva alcanzada debe estimularse con la continua adaptación local a la competencia de otros ámbitos territoriales

Factors affecting entrepreneurial intention levels

Entrepreneurship is becoming a very relevant instrument to promote economic growth and development in different regional and national economies. However, social scientists have not still agreed on the determinants of the decision to become an entrepreneur. Therefore, there is some concern that policies may not be sufficiently efficient in achieving this objective. From a psychological point of view, the intention to become an entrepreneur has been described as the single best predictor of actual behaviour (Ajzen, 1991; Kolvereid, 1996). Hence, some studies have started to analyse the entrepreneurial intention and its determinants (Krueger et al., 2000) but however, methodologies and research instruments used so far differ widely. Then, the availability of a validated instrument to measure abilities, attitudes and intentions towards entrepreneurship could be of much help. In this paper, we use an Entrepreneurial Intention Questionnaire (EIQ), which has been recently validated, to measure entrepreneurial intentions in a sample of students from different Spanish universities. After a brief description of the characteristics and psychometric properties of the EIQ, most important results are discussed. In particular, we pay attention to the influence of different personal and family variables on the entrepreneurial intention level. These variables could be considered as belonging to the institutional environment of each territory. Differences in institutions -in a broad sense- may be a very relevant factor to explain divergent entrepreneurial activity levels. Results show how these external variables affect intention and, as a result actual entrepreneurial behaviour.

Challenges and responses of agri-food activities under COVID-19 pandemic: The case of the Spanish territories producing wine and olive oil

Producción CientíficaThe COVID-19 pandemic has deeply affected economic activities worldwide. The challenge for territories and companies has been how to cope with mobility restrictions. Even in the case of essential activities such as agri-food industries, the adaptation has been a challenging issue to deal with. The paper aims to show how the wine and olive oil industries in Spain have restructured their activities in order to respond to the confinement and the new normalcy, using new technologies as a strategic tool, but also making the most of new actions to keep their presence in the national and international markets. The research was carried out mostly through qualitative analysis, using the in-depth interview as a main tool to gain strategic information from managers of companies and local policymakers. Results show that when local policy makers and managers cooperate, despite the different perceptions they could have, the outcome is positive for facing competitive shocks and carving out new local initiatives, making firms and the territory itself more resilient

How to make innovation policies more effective: the challenge of considering the institutional context

The necessity to optimise the processes of design and implementation of instruments that stimulate R+D+i is a matter of urgency due to both the existing public sector budget constraints and the dubious effectiveness of much of the innovation strategies implemented. In this regard, the institutionalist theory makes it possible to identify the main factors that condition the emergence and success of innovative activities. It also considers that incentives for innovation should be designed considering the specificities of institutional environment rather than a one-size-fits-all type solution. In this context, the main aims of this article are two. On the one hand, to understand, through a bibliometric analysis, the scientific production that link institutional theory and innovation policies and, on the other hand, to highlight, through a literature review, the 1665 elements that should be considered for designing more effective innovation policies, with particular emphasis on factors related to the institutional context.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech