The challenges faced by rural communities — and the actors who engage with them — change over time. Therefore we need to regularly adapt our ideas on the role, meaning and dynamics of “rural innovation”. The dynamics of rural innovation in the early 21st century derive, on the one hand, from the challenges that farmers and agriculture face in view of their ever-changing social and natural environment. On the other hand, changes occur within institutions such as NGOs, agri...
After three decades of trial and error, innovation policy is taking off in Africa. Our new policy brief tracks the roll out of science, technology and innovation (ST&I) policies in 11 African nations, in the context of various development issues. Experts from around the world recently met in Nairobi, Kenya to analyse innovation policies in Botswana, Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Among other outputs, the workshop mapped ST&I p...
Our press review features the latest publications by UNU-MERIT and its School of Governance. Output for December includes one book, three journal articles, 15 working papers, one paper, and one PhD dissertation: covering R&D tax incentives for Spain, the impact of brands on innovation in Germany, and whether internet infrastructure can reduce regional disparities in Turkey, among many others. Journal Articles ‘Corruption and Economic Activity: Micro Level Evidence from Rural Liberia’ studies...
Last week NASA tested its latest spacecraft, the Orion, at a cost of US$370m. The perfect test flight brought the USA one step closer to a manned mission to Mars, now scheduled for 2030. Conquering this new ‘frontier’ says a lot about a country, yet this and other kinds of innovation are no longer the preserve of superpowers, says PhD fellow Francesca Guadagno. In September the first Indian satellite entered Mars’ orbit, costing the Indian government 4.5bn rupees (US$74m), less than ...
Our EU Trend Reports tackle innovative business practices from a policy perspective. They help policymakers better understand the latest trends in business and industry innovation and provide specific policy recommendations to unleash the potential of European businesses and scale-up successful innovative solutions in the EU. Two trend reports are published every year, drawing on case studies and conference outcomes. ••• Without smart factories Europe will lose more manufacturing jobs; without c...
Prof. Jo Ritzen was recently made a Doctor Honoris Causa by the University of SS. Cyril and Methodius (UCM) in Trnava, Slovakia. The degree was conferred during an international conference entitled, ‘Marketing Identity – Explosion of Innovations’. Jo Ritzen (Heerlen, 1945) is professorial fellow in the International Economics of Science, Technology and Higher Education at UNU-MERIT and the Maastricht Graduate School of Governance. He was previously Dutch Minister for Education and Sc...
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Most Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries have grown richer over the last decade. Yet in terms of productivity — the main driver of long-term growth — the region is failing to keep pace. Improving productivity is key, especially in services, according to a new paper co-authored by Fernando Vargas. Every year the service sector contributes more and more to LAC economies, but low productivity has long hindered progress. Across several fronts, the challenges and opportunities ar...
Innovation and “innovation indicators” are not part of the common lexicon. Not all researchers follow the same definitions, and the subject is constantly evolving – by definition. This poses a problem for policymakers, says Prof. Fred Gault in our new working paper. Innovation is the bringing to market of a new or significantly improved product, or of finding a better way to get a product to market, to paraphrase the 2005 Oslo Manual by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and ...
Our press review features the latest publications by UNU-MERIT and its School of Governance. Output for August includes two working papers, based on data from indicators and countries worldwide. These study the importance of innovation and how to maximize innovative output. Working Papers ‘Does Too Much Work Hamper Innovation? Evidence for Diminishing Returns of Work Hours for Patent Grants’ suggests that individual time is an important factor that needs to be considered in innovatio...