Innovation and Sustainable Competitiveness: Evidence from Poland

W ostatnich latach, wskutek burzliwych kryzysowych doświadczeń, badacze zaczęli dostrzegać konieczność dążenia nie tylko do poprawy konkurencyjności gospodarek rozumianej przez pryzmat poprawy produktywności, ale również do osiągnięcia tzw. zrównoważonej konkurencyjności. Ta nowa koncepcja koncentruje się nie tylko na poprawie produktywności wykorzystania posiadanych zasobów materialnych i niematerialnych, ale akcentuje też dążenie do zapewnienia równowagi społecznej oraz zrównoważonego wykorzystania środowiska naturalnego. Kluczowe miejsce w tej koncepcji zajmują innowacje. Celem artykułu jest określenie czy i w jakim stopniu innowacje społeczne oraz ekoinnowacje, przyczyniają się do kształtowania przewag konkurencyjnych polskiej gospodarki ujmując konkurencyjność w jej zrównoważonym wymiarze. Za pomocą indeksu ujawnionych przewag technologicznych (RTCA) obliczonego na podstawie statystyki patentowej określona została specjalizacja technologiczna Polski i dla całej UE 28 w zakresie podstawowych potrzeb ludzkich oraz technologii zarządzania ochroną środowiska i zmiany tej specjalizacji w latach 2000–2011. W kolejnym etapie analizy wykorzystano indeksy RTCA w obu tych obszarach patentowania jako miernik odpowiednio: innowacji społecznych i innowacji ekologicznych. Z analizy przeprowadzonej w artykule wynika, iż w okresie 2000–2011 te dwie nowe formy innowacji odgrywały ważną rolę w kształtowaniu zrównoważonej konkurencyjności polskiej gospodarki.This paper focuses on competitiveness seen from macroeconomic perspective, but understood in a new, non-traditional, expanded way. It is the concept of sustainable competitiveness, which refers not only to improvements productivity, but also includes some additional aspects related to the environmental and social issues. Innovation remains the key element of this concept, however, apart from technological innovation, new forms of innovation, such as eco-innovations and social innovations play a significant role in it. The main objective of this paper is to find out to what extent these two new forms of innovation are correlated with Poland’s competitiveness. Using a revealed technological advantage (RTCA) index based on patent statistics changes in technological specialization have been identified for Poland and for the whole EU 28 in the fields of environmental management technologies and human necessities in the period of 2000–2011. In the next step of the analysis RTCA indices in both fields have been used as proxies for eco-innovations and social innovations respectively. This paper shows that in the period of 2000–2011 these two new forms of innovation played an important role in shaping sustainable competitiveness of the Polish economy

Contemporary innovation policy – evidence from the world’s innovation leaders

Celem artykułu jest identyfikacja najważniejszych tendencji występujących we współczesnej polityce innowacyjnej, zarówno w ujęciu koncepcyjnym, jak i od strony praktycznej jej implementacji. W artykule przedstawiono teoretyczne podejście do polityki innowacyjnej, które uzupełnia szczegółowa analiza porównawcza celów i narzędzi tej polityki w państwach wiodących pod względem innowacyjności w gospodarce światowej. Są to: Finlandia, Stany Zjednoczone oraz Korea Południowa. Wyniki analizy wykazały, iż w państwach tych stosuje się postulowane w teorii, holistyczne podejście do kształtowania polityki innowacyjnej, które polega na dopasowaniu całego instrumentarium polityki do najważniejszych problemów i wzywań funkcjonowania narodowego systemu innowacji. Instrumentem polityki innowacyjnej, który nabiera na znaczeniu w drugiej dekadzie XXI wieku, zarówno w Korei Południowej, jak i w Stanach Zjednoczonych, a także do pewnego stopnia w Finlandii, są ulgi podatkowe związane z prowadzeniem działalności badawczo-rozwojowe

Technological competitiveness of the EU member states in the era of the fourth industrial revolution

The aim of this paper is to investigate the implications of the fourth industrial revolution for technological competitiveness, its definition and measurement methods. An empirical part is aimed at identifying comparative advantages of the European Union in digital technologies. Recently new approaches have appeared to measure digital competitiveness, however they use a broad definition of competitiveness that encompasses not only technological factors but also the macroeconomic and institutional environment (IMD, 2017; WEF, 2018). There is still a limited number of studies focused on the technological dimension of competitiveness in digital technologies. This paper fills the gap by developing a conceptual framework based on patent indicators, i.e. Patent Share and Revealed Technological Advantage indices. It allows a consistent analysis of the comparative advantages of the EU member states in digital technologies to be conducted. The results confirm a huge diversity within the EU in terms of digital technologies, their global impact and comparative advantages

Understanding regional risk factors for cancer: A cluster analysis of lifestyle, environment and socio-economic status in Poland

To date, no results have been published regarding cluster analysis of risk factors for cancer in Poland. Many cancer deaths are preventable through the modification of cancer risk behaviours. This study explores the multidisciplinary connection between lifestyle, environment and socio-economic status (SES). Cluster analyses indicate that major metropolitan areas and large industrial regions differ significantly in terms of SES, lifestyle and environment when compared with other parts of Poland. Our findings show that in order for interventions to be effective, cancer-prevention policy should be addressed on both local and national scales. While anti-cancer policies in Poland’s industrial regions should focus on air pollution, the country’s northern regions should aim to curb smoking, increase sports activity and improve SES. Policy interventions must target the root causes of cancer in each region of Poland and must account for SES

A cluster analysis of risk factors for cancer across EU countries: Health policy recommendations for prevention

Cancer burden in the European Union (EU) is increasing and has stimulated the European Commission (EC) to develop strategies for cancer control. A common “one size fits all” prevention policy may not be effective in reducing cancer morbidity and mortality. The goal of this paper is to show that EU member states are not homogenous in terms of their exposure to risk factors for cancer (i.e., lifestyle, socio-economic status (SES), air pollution, and vaccination). Data from a variety of sources including Eurostat, the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, the European Health Interview Survey, Eurobarometer, and the European Environment Agency were merged across years 2013-2015 and used to develop a cluster analysis. This work identified four patterns of cancer prevention behaviors in the EU thus making it possible to group EU members states into four distinct country clusters including: sports-engaged countries, tobacco and pollutant exposed nations, unhealthy lifestyle countries, and a stimulant-enjoying cluster of countries. This paper finds that there is a need for closer collaboration among EU countries belonging to the same cluster in order to share best practices regarding health policy measures that might improve cancer control interventions locally and across the EU

Evaluating the impact of public financial support on innovation activities of European Union enterprises: Additionality approach

The study aims at estimating the effects of support for research and development and innovation from the European Union (EU) budget for boosting innovation in European enterprises, using input, output, and behavioral additionality approach. The study is based on microdata of the Community Innovation Survey 2012–2014, covering a sample of 98,809 enterprises from 14 EU countries. The direct and indirect relationships between the variables were studied using path analysis. For the whole sample, three additionality dimensions were confirmed; however, the result differs across EU member states. Multi-additionality of EU grants was confirmed only for Spain; in eight EU countries, input and behavioral additionality were proved, and in two, only behavioral additionality was found. This leads to the conclusion that the potential of EU support is not fully exploited, in particular in Central and Eastern European countries, and there is room for improvements with regard to policy design and implementation

Social innovation for sustainable development: assessing current trends

Innovation is believed to be a key driver of societal and economic well-being. In many cases, it has also led to more sustainable lifestyles and a more efficient use of natural resources. But despite the relevance of innovation as a tool to support sustainable development, there is a need for research that analyses current trends in order to guide future efforts. The present paper addresses this research need. It examines existing methods and tools for fostering social innovation in matters related to sustainable development, within the framework of the SDGs. By means of an online survey undertaken among sustainability and innovation experts in a sample of industrialised and developing nations, this study has identified some of the means via which social innovation is being pursued, along with its applications and limitations. A number of case studies showing examples of sustainable innovation have been mapped to demonstrate its usefulness. A causal loop diagram, which links the factors associated with social innovation within the context of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, is also presented, offering a greater understanding of their interconnections. The paper concludes by outlining some measures that may help to take better advantage of the many opportunities offered by social innovation that put the principles of sustainable development into practice