IISTP was proud to present a series of online workshops focusing on:
The Challenges of Technology and Economic Catch-Up in Emerging Economies
This series of workshops explores the major issues related to the technology upgrading of emerging and catching up economies. Ultimately, technology upgrading is the precondition to improved standards of living of emerging economies as well as to sustainable development and the greening of the world economy. In a series of five workshops, we discuss the state-of-the-art understanding of the issues around technology upgrading and economic catch-up. We explore country, sector and firm-level issues based on a variety of country experiences; we examine the issues of technology upgrading in the context of inclusive development and green growth as well as policy issues that these processes entail.
The background for individual workshops are contributions in the forthcoming Oxford University Press volume “The Challenges of Technology and Economic Catch-Up in Emerging Economies” edited by Jeong-Dong Lee (Seoul National University), Keun Lee (Seoul National University), Dirk Meissner (Higher School of Economics – NRU), Slavo Radosevic (University College London), and Nicholas Vonortas (George Washington University/University of Campinas).
Co-Organizers Include:
Institute for International Science and Technology Policy (George Washington University)
InSysPo – Innovation Systems, Strategies and Policy (Department of Science and Technology Policy – University of Campinas)
UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies – University College London
Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge (National Research University/Higher School of Economics)
View the recording for our 5th and final workshop:
Technology Upgrading and Economic Catch-Up: the New Global Context and the Road Ahead
The Challenges of Technology and Economic Catch-Up in Emerging Economies Workshop 5
Aprtil 22, 2021 | 8:00am-10:00am EDT
About the workshop:
The workshop synthesized the main insights and lessons from the previous four workshops and outlined the research and policy road ahead in the new global post-Covid-19 context.
For this last workshop, we received the five editors from the volume “The Challenges of Technology and Economic Catch-Up in Emerging Economies” along with two special guests:
Book overview
Jeong-Dong Lee (Professor of the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program on Technology Management, Economics and Policy (TEMEP) and the Department of Industrial Engineering, Seoul National University. Special Advisor to the President of South Korea on Economy and Science)
Key findings from the book and previous workshops
Dirk Meissner (Professor and Deputy Head of the Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge at Higher School of Economics [HSE], National Research University)
Future research agenda
Slavo Radosevic (Professor of Industry and Innovation Studies at the UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London)
Special remarks
Yongsuk Jan (Senior Research Fellow of the Science and Technology Policy Institute [STEPI]. Research Associate at the Center for International Science and Technology Policy [CISTP] of the George Washington University, Washington, DC)
Alfred Watkins (Chairman of the Global Solutions Summit, Senior Advisor to the Global Technology Deployment Initiative and Senior Director of the P80 Group Foundation. He worked for more than 20 years in different areas at the World Bank)
Open Discussion
Moderator: Nicholas Vonortas (Professor of Economics and International Affairs at The George Washington University in Washington D.C. Principal Investigator at InSySPo/Department of Science and Technology Policy, University of Campinas)
Announcement/Conclusion
Keun Lee (Professor at the Department of Economics, Seoul National University. Special Advisor to the President of South Korea, specializing in science and technology policy and economic development)
Co-Organized by:
Institute for International Science and Technology Policy (George Washington University)
InSysPo – Innovation Systems, Strategies and Policy (Department of Science and Technology Policy – Unicamp)
UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies – University College London
Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge (National Research University/Higher School of Economics)
Missed our previous workshops? Watch the event recordings below.
Innovation Policy for Technology Upgrading
The Challenges of Technology and Economic Catch-Up in Emerging Economies
March 25, 2021 | 8am-10am EDT
About the workshop:
This workshop explored different facets of innovation policies for technology upgrading in the context of significantly changing policy philosophies evolving from import substitution earlier on and the Washington consensus policies more recently to the post-Covid19 context of today. Specifically, the workshop explored the role of strategic intent and policy leadership in technology upgrading as well as how countries can reshape the nature of the existing value chains and innovation networks dominated by foreign multinational enterprises (MNEs)? How to set initiatives and programs to use Global Value Chains (GVCs) as levers for local technology accumulation? What are the limits of GVC only technology upgrading policies? Finally, how should policymakers go about implementing new policy? How to design and implement programs which will recognize the danger of failure, vested interests as well as low policy capacity endemic to emerging economies?
Presentation topics:
“Using Large-Scale Programs to Help Develop Technological Capabilities: Cases in China”
Xudong Gao (Professor of the Department of Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Strategy, Tsinghua University)
“Industrial and Innovation Policies in a World of Global Value Chains”
Carlo Pietrobelli (Head of Department and Professor of Economics at University Roma Tre, Italy, Professorial Fellow at UNU-MERIT, Maastricht, and Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University, Washington D.C.)
“Experimentalist Governance for Technology Upgrading: New Industrial Policy Process”
Yevgeny Kuznetsov (Senior Research Fellow at the Migration Policy Institute; and Consultant at World Bank)
Institute for International Science and Technology Policy (George Washington University)
InSysPo – Innovation Systems, Strategies and Policy (Department of Science and Technology Policy – University of Campinas)
UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies – University College London
Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge (National Research University/Higher School of Economics)
Emerging paradigm on technology capability upgrading: embracing green, inclusive and social sustainability concerns.
The Challenges of Technology and Economic Catch-Up in Emerging Economies Workshop 3
February 25, 2021 | 7am-9am EST
Missed the event? View the workshop recording.
About the workshop:
Traditionally technology upgrading of emerging economies has been framed within the catching up and economic growth perspective. A major new development is the changing nature of technology through the ongoing increasing application of artificial intelligence; the demise of the fossil-fuel-based growth regime; increasing concerns with equity and inclusiveness of technology. The new objective of catching up is not only economic growth as measured by GDP, but it includes sustainable development and green growth. These emerging issues and challenges for catching up economies are the core of the new research paradigm on technology upgrading. Is the shift to green growth of catching up economies an option or necessity? What does this shift entail for technology upgrading research and related policies? How to ensure that technology-driven ‘creative destruction’ entails structural change while avoiding exclusionary outcomes? The broader socioeconomic and political environment powerfully shapes technology capability accumulation. Thus the political economy of technology accumulation is inseparable from understanding different paths of technology upgrading. What are the implications for the technology upgrading research agenda?
The February 25 workshop explored these and other questions.
Presentation topics included:
“Catching Up or Developing Differently? Techno-Institutional Learning with a Sustainable Planet in Mind”
Tilman Altenburg (Head of the Programme “Transformation of Economic and Social Systems” at the German Development Institute)
“Leapfrogging on Steroids: China’s Green Growth Strategies”
John Mathews (Professor Emeritus in the Macquarie Business School at Macquarie University)
“Innovation for Inclusive Structural Change”
Tommaso Ciarli (Senior Research Fellow at the Science Policy Research Unit, Sussex University)
Maria Savona (Professor of Innovation and Evolutionary Economics at the Science Policy Research Unit, Sussex University)
Jodie Thorpe (Research Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies)
“Evolutionary Spheres that Condition the Technological Capabilities Accumulation in Latin America”
Gabriela Dutrénit (Coordinador of the posgraduate studies on economics, management and policies of innovation at Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana)
José Miguel Natera (Research Fellow at CONACYT, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana)
Martín Puchet (Professor at the School of Economics, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana)
Alexandre O. Vera Cruz (Professor at the Economics and Innovation Management Graduate Program, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana)
Institute for International Science and Technology Policy (George Washington University)
InSysPo – Innovation Systems, Strategies and Policy (Department of Science and Technology Policy – University of Campinas)
UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies – University College London
Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge (National Research University/Higher School of Economics)
Technology Capabilities and Sectoral Catch-Up: what explains success, failures, and challenges?
The Challenges of Technology and Economic Catch-Up in Emerging Economies Workshop 2
December 3, 2020 | 7am-9am EDT
Missed the event? View the recording.
About the workshop:
The workshop explored why technology upgrading is a complex and historically contingent process where outcomes are dependent on a variety of mutually interrelated factors whose outcomes are far from certain. Strategic intent may not suffice unless there is a required level of technological capabilities complemented by the robust mechanism for rapid technological transfer. How can we explain failures in the cases of with strong market and institutional ‘windows of opportunity’? In other cases, technological capability and even forging ahead may emerge as a bottom-up strategic response to changing ‘windows of opportunity’ which employ a variety of technology acquisition mechanisms. How do we explain unexpected success stories of technology upgrading in emerging economies? Furthermore, technology accumulation strategies fit for ‘catching up’ stages may not suffice for post-catching stages which require a new level and quality of capabilities which go beyond technology capabilities. What are lessons from the cases of post-catchup failures?
Those are some of the questions we dealt with on December 3.
Presentations included:
Macro and Micro Foundations for Technology Upgrading and Innovation: The Case of Shipbuilding and Offshore Industry Missed Window of Opportunity in Brazil
André Cherubini Alves (Professor of Innovation at São Paulo School of Business Administration – Getulio Vargas Foundation)
Nicholas Vonortas (Professor of Economics and International Affairs at The George Washington University in Washington D.C; Principal Investigator at InSySPo/Department of Science and Technology Policy, University of Campinas)
Paulo Zawislak (Professor at the Management School, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul)
Technology Upgrading in Natural Resource-Intensive Industries: Evidence from the Brazilian Mining Industry
Paulo Figueiredo (Professor of Technology and Innovation Management at the Brazilian School of Public and Business Administration – Getulio Vargas Foundation)
Janaina Piana (Professor at the Business Department, Federal University of Technology – Paraná)
Upgrading Non-technological Capabilities: Evidence From Korean Firms
Jae Yong Choung (Professor at the College of Business, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in the fields of Science and Technology Policy, and Innovation management)
Hye-Ran Hwang (Department of Industrial Innovation at the Daejeon Development Institute)
Institute for International Science and Technology Policy (George Washington University)
InSysPo – Innovation Systems, Strategies and Policy (Department of Science and Technology Policy – University of Campinas)
UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies – University College London
Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge (National Research University/Higher School of Economics)
Technology capabilities and their impact on growth and catching up
The Challenges of Technology and Economic Catch-Up in Emerging Economies Workshop 1
November 4 | 7am-9am EDT
About the workshop:
The workshop explored the role of technological capabilities and their impact on growth and economic catching up. Technological capabilities are conceptualised and measured as differentiated categories and different contributions explore their relations to economic performance measures, including their relationship to conventional productivity measures. What are the significant insights from analyses which open new avenues for exploring the link between technology upgrading and economic growth? The process of accumulation of technological capabilities is highly heterogeneous across firms and countries; it is both path dependent and non-linear. Further accumulation of technological capabilities is not automatic as countries and firms face new requirements. Thus ‘capability transition failures’ but also opportunities for ‘leapfrogging’ are to be expected. What are the implications of this new understanding of technology upgrading dynamics for research and policy?
Presentation topics included:
Capabilities, Competitiveness, Nations
Jan Fagerberg (Professor at the Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture, University of Oslo)
Martin Srholec (Deputy Director for Research, Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education – Economics Institute)
Technology Upgrading in Emerging Economies: A New Approach to its Measurement, Results, and Relationship to Mainstream Measures
Randolph Luca Bruno (Associate Professor in Economics at the UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London)
Kirill Osaulenko (PhD Candidate at the UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London)
Slavo Radosevic (Professor of Industry and Innovation Studies at the UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London)
Middle Innovation Trap: Capability Transition Failure and Stalled Economic Growth” (JD Lee, C Baek, J Yeon)
Jeong-Dong Lee (Professor of Interdisciplinary Graduate Program on Technology Management, Economics and Policy at the Department of Industrial Engineering, Seoul National University)
Chulwoo Baek (Associate Professor at the Department of International Trade, Duksung Women’s University)
Jung-In Yeon (PhD in Economics at the SNU Technology Management, Economics and Policy Program, Seoul National University)
Economics of Technological Leapfrogging
Keun Lee (Professor at the Department of Economics, Seoul National University)
Innovation Surveys as Evidence of Technological Upgrading and Catch-Up Studies
Vitaliy Roud (Deputy Head at the Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge/Laboratory for Economics of Innovation, Higher School of Economics, National Research University)
Institute for International Science and Technology Policy (George Washington University)
InSysPo – Innovation Systems, Strategies and Policy (Department of Science and Technology Policy – University of Campinas)
UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies – University College London
Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge (National Research University/Higher School of Economics)
