Evolutionary and interacting spheres that condition the technological capabilities accumulation in Latin America


Dr. Gabriela Dutrenit, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Xochimilco

The studies about technological capability accumulation (TCA) processes tend to adopt a narrow perspective to science, technology and innovation and their policies, which is insufficient to understand these processes. It is necessary to frame the TCA processes at national levels, including technical, economic, environmental, social and political factors, which interact and co-evolve. By grouping these factors into two spheres: the techno-economic and environmental (TEES) and the socio-political (SPS) spheres, the aim is to discuss development profiles of Latin American countries in terms of TEES and SPS, and discuss their implications for TCA. It is argued that countries’ evolutionary trajectory combines these spheres differently, which results in diverse development profiles; this affects the TCA. This analysis is based on a dynamics structural model, which combines a long-term analysis (1970-2015) of 18 countries to verify the existence of cointegration between TEES and SPS, and the identification and estimation of long-run paths that determine different country profiles in the region.



About the speaker

Gabriela Dutrénit is an economist, with a first degree from the Universidad de la Habana, a Master degree from UNAM in Mexico, and a PhD in Science and Technology Research Studies from the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU), University of Sussex, UK. She is coordinator of the posgraduate program in Economics, Management and Policies of Innovation at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM) in Mexico, and Distinguisher Professor of this University. She is a regular member of the Mexican Academy of Science. Dr Dutrénit is coordinator of LALICS (Latin American Network for Economics of Learning, Innovation, and Competence Building Systems), the Latin American Chapter of GLOBELICS. During 2012-2014 she was Coordinator of the Scientific and Technological Advisory Forum in Mexico. Her research interests include: innovation and development, in particular learning and technological capability accumulation at the firm level; university–industry linkages; and innovation policy. She has coordinated several evaluations of the Mexican policy of science, technology and innovation.



Date: 12 November 2020

Time: 15:00 - 16:00  CET


UNU-MERIT