Diversity of Innovative Strategy as a Source of Technological Performance

This paper explores the impact of diversity of innovative strategies of firms upon the industrial dynamics through a micro-simulation model. We consider two types of firms each one being characterised by a specific innovative strategy. Basically we assume that some cumulative firms adopt an internal learning by searching strategy, while noncumulative firms adopt an external learning strategy aiming at absorbing external sources of knowledge. The results show that the co-existence of the two types of firms leads to an oligopolistic structure characterised by asymmetries in the size of firms and high technological performances. Thus the diversity of innovative strategies generates a diversity in firms market shares and is a source of dynamic efficiency in the long run.Industrial dynamics, innovation, diversity, learning

Alternative Theories on Economic Growth and the Co-evolution of Macro-Dynamics and Technological Change: A survey.

This paper aims to propose an approach to endogeneous growth considering the relationship between macro-dynamics and technical change. We draw upon two stream of literature: Cumulative causation and its macroscopic view of economic dynamics, and Evo-lutionary economics and its focus on micro-determinants of technical change. This paper presents a survey of the formal representation of the growth process and identifies the possible bridges between these two approaches. Our claim is that merging these two distinct theories might offer a framework to consider the co-evolution of macro-dynamics and technical change.Economic Growth, Technical Change, Cumulative Causation, Evolutionary Theory.

Socio-technical transition processes: A real option based reasoning.

Using a real option reasoning perspective we study the uncertainties and irreversibilities that impact the investment decisions of firms during the different phases of technological transitions. The analysis of transition dynamics via real options reasoning allows the provision of an alternative and more qualified explanation of investment decisions according to the sequentiality of pathways considered. In our framework, flexibility management through option investments concerns both the incumbent and the future technological regime. In the first case it refers to ex-post flexibility management and in the second case to ex-ante flexibility management.

Cumulative Causation and Evolutionary Micro-Founded Technical Change: A Growth Model with Integrated Economies

We propose to develop in this paper an alternative approach to the New Growth Theory to analyse growth rate divergence among integrated economies. The model presented here considers economic growth as a disequilibrium process. It introduces in a cumulative causation framework, micro-founded process of technical change taking into account elements rooted in evolutionary and Neo-Austrian literature. We then attempt to open the "Kaldor-Verdoorn law black-box" using a micro-level modelling of industrial dynamics. We use this framework to study the nature and sources of growth rate divergence, focusing on the eect of some macro-economic parameters (income elasticities) and of some technological parameters (technological opportunities and absorptive capacities). If the results remain broadly in Kaldorian lines, this framework allows for more subtle considerations of growth rate divergence.Cumulative Growth, Technical Change, International Trade

Cumulative Causation and Evolutionary Micro-Founded Technical Change : A Growth Model with Integrated Economies

We propose to develop in this paper an alternative approach to the New Growth Theory to analyse growth rate divergence among integrated economies. The model presented here considers economic growth as a disequilibrium process. It introduces in a cumulative causation framework, micro-founded process of technical change taking into account elements rooted in evolutionary and Neo-Austrian literature. We then attempt to open the ‘Kaldor-Verdoorn law black-box’ using a micro-level modelling of industrial dynamics. We use this framework to study the nature and sources of growth rate divergence, focusing on the effect of some macro-economic parameters (income elasticities) and of some technological parameters (technological opportunities and absorptive capacities). If the results remain broadly in Kaldorian lines, this framework allows for more subtle considerations of growth rate divergence.

Running The Marathon

Over the twentieth century universities in the industrialized world have evolved from being "universities of culture" to "universities of innovation." Policy makers and universities themselves see that one of their major roles is supporting industrial innovation and thus economic growth. We argue that this rests on a mis-cconception of the nature of innovation and the value of universities. We argue that a more appropriate function for this institution is as the "university of reflection" where scholarship and truth-seeking are the ultimate goals.innovation, university-industry relations, role of universities

Small Worlds in Networks of Inventors and the Role of Science: An Analysis of France.

· Using data on patent applications at European Patent Office, we examine the structural properties of networks of inventors in France in different technologies, and how they depend from the inventive activity of scientists from universities and public research organizations (PROs). We revisit earlier findings on small world properties of social networks of inventors, and propose more rigorous tests of such hypothesis. We find that academic and PRO inventors contribute significantly to patenting in science‐based fields. Such contribution is decisive for the emergence of small world properties.networks, inventors, academic patenting, small world.

Institutional Change and Academic Patenting: French Universities and the Innovation Act of the 1999.

Recent empirical work in the field of university-industry technology transfer has stressed the importance of IPR-related reforms and university patenting has major forces behind the success of US high-tech industry. European policy-makers have been tempted to explain the poorer technological performance of their countries with the lower propensity of their academic institutions to get engaged in patenting and commercializing their research results. As a consequence, a number of measures have been taken to promote academic awareness of IPRs, as part of more comprehensive policies in favour of academic commercialization and entrepreneurship. This paper explores university patenting, and the related policies, in France. We provide evidence that university patenting in that countries has been underestimated by policy-makers’ perceptions: French academic scientists are in fact responsible for no less than 3% of patents by French inventors at the European Patent Office. However, only 10% of academic-invented patents are owned by domestic universities, with the remainder assigned both to firms and to Public Research Organizations (PROs). We then explore the impact of the Innovation Act, passed in France in 1999. We find that the Act has significantly increased the likelihood an academic patent to be assigned to a university rather than to a business company. We also find, that the opening of a technology transfer office in a university appears to have a stronger and more significant impact than the Act on the decision of universities to retain IPRs over their scientists’ discoveries.