Patterns of R&D and Growth Performance: Can a Technological Follower Be Converted Into an Economic Leader?

It is well known that researchers in several traditions have argued that innovation is essential to ensure countries’ economic growth (Schumpeter, 1912; Freeman, 1987; Pavitt, 1982; Romer, 1990; Jones, 1995). At the same time, others researchers have stressed the role of imitative capacity in economic catching-up (Rosenberg, 1963; Abramovitz, 1986; Fagerberg, 1987). Simultaneously, for a great lot of countries economic growth has become one of the most significant policy commitments. Accordingly, although with very different results, several countries have vastly increased their economic and policy commitments to innovation and have made investments in their innovative capacity, and in their levels of R&D expenditures. Furthermore, R&D intensity, the structure of R&D expenditures and the productivity of R&D outlays show a remarkable diversity across countries. Our paper uses this diversity and the lessons of the past three decades to shed some light on the relationship between productivity and technological change and aims to answer the following questions: How was the productivity in economic miracles propelled by a technological change? What are the reasons why it seems so easy for some few countries — and so difficult for a lot of others — to catch-up with the levels of productivity of the world technological frontier? So, in this paper we investigate the patterns of development in national innovative capacity, focusing on the country level investments in R&D, and in the examination of the patent counts, in a broad sample of countries that include the leaders and the followers in catching up to the world's leading countries. The institutional configurations, and national policy decisions that shape the different behaviour of some follower nations in terms of productivity and innovative output, are also studied.

A bouncing ball model with two nonlinearities: a prototype for Fermi acceleration

Some dynamical properties of a bouncing ball model under the presence of an external force modeled by two nonlinear terms are studied. The description of the model is made by use of a two dimensional nonlinear measure preserving map on the variables velocity of the particle and time. We show that raising the straight of a control parameter which controls one of the nonlinearities, the positive Lyapunov exponent decreases in the average and suffers abrupt changes. We also show that for a specific range of control parameters, the model exhibits the phenomenon of Fermi acceleration. The explanation of both behaviours is given in terms of the shape of the external force and due to a discontinuity of the moving wall's velocity.Comment: A complete list of my papers can be found in: http://www.rc.unesp.br/igce/demac/denis

Studies in terpenoid chemistry

Imperial Users onl

After Partition: The Perils of South Sudan

The partition of South Sudan from the largest country on the African continent – Sudan, took place on July 9, 2011.1 The northern portion retained the name Sudan while the newly formed southern state would be known as South Sudan. South Sudan became the newest member of the United Nations (UN) with comparatively little infrastructure and limited arrangements for shared sovereignty by the international community. The partition process was undertaken with oversight from the United Nations and the African Union. It was rather idealistically considered a prelude to an enduring peace within this traditionally troubled African region. The former unitary state of Sudan had been plagued by bitter internecine conflict for more than half a century, and as a result, an estimated 2.5 million people lost their lives and over five million were internally displaced