This report aims to foster a better understanding on how to leverage the economic and social impacts of the implementation of the Internet into mobile devices to enable ubiquitous governments, sustain public sector innovation and transform public service delivery. The content of this report paves the way for the Report on Agile Government to be released by OECD in the Fall of 2011. The report is a joint-product of the collaboration of OECD with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
Inducing environmental innovation is a significant challenge to policy-makers. Efforts to design public policies that address these issues are motivated by the fact that innovations can allow for improved environmental quality at lower cost. However, the relationship between environmental policy and technological innovation remains an area in which empirical evidence is scant. Increased attention should be paid to the design characteristics of public policies that are likely to affect the ‘type’ of innovation induced. The work presented in this book is brought together in five substantive chapters: environmental policy design characteristics and their role in inducing innovation, the role of public policies (including multilateral agreements) in encouraging transfer of environmental technologies, followed by three ‘sectoral’ studies of innovation in alternative fuel vehicles, solid waste management and recycling, and green (sustainable) chemistry. While particular focus has been placed on the role of environmental policy in bringing about the innovation documented, it is recognised that other factors play a key role in inducing innovation which has positive environmental implications.
This book presents a comprehensive view of Internet intermediaries, their economic and social function, development and prospects, benefits and costs, and roles and responsibilities. Divided into three parts, Part I, The Economic and Social Role of Internet Intermediaries, develops a common definition and understanding of what Internet intermediaries are, of their economic function and economic models, of recent market developments, and discusses the economic and social uses that these actors satisfy. Part II, The Role of Internet Intermediaries in Advancing Public Policy Objectives, examines the roles and responsibilities of Internet intermediaries in advancing public policy objectives, as well as the costs and benefits of their involvement through a series of case studies. Part III provides a summary of an experts workshop that identified lessons learned and best practices from the experience to date of Internet intermediaries in advancing public policy objectives.
Innovation is key to green growth. It helps decouple growth from natural capital depletion and contributes to economic growth and job creation. Business is the driver of innovation, but governments need to provide clear and stable market signals, e.g. through carbon pricing. This book explores policy actions for the deployment of new technologies and innovations as they emerge: investment in research and development, support for commercialisation, strengthening markets and fostering technology diffusion. Competition will be essential to bring out the best solutions.
This publication provides new information on public research institutions (PRIs) and government strategies. Public research institutions are crucial for innovation due to their role in knowledge creation and diffusion. While absolute real expenditure on R&D in this sector has risen, it now accounts for a smaller share of total R&D spending by OECD countries and of OECD GDP. The targets and focus of many PRIs have evolved in recent years. Changing activities, new policy challenges and wider economic and political developments have driven change in missions and mandates and linkages have become focal points for many. Internationalisation has also increased and relationships are frequently collaborative. PRIs’ sources of income are diverse but funding has become increasingly competitive. Funding instruments need to balance short-and long-term goals to uphold research quality and ensure the sustainability of PRI activities.
Space applications have become an important part of everyday life. Weather forecasting, air traffic control, global communications and broadcasting, disaster management -- these and many other key activities would be almost unthinkable today without satellite technology. The space industry itself is relatively small compared to other manufacturing sectors, but its technological dynamism and strategic significance mean that it plays an ever more critical role in modern society.
This book assembles information on the space economy from a wide range of official and non-official sources. Together these paint a richly detailed picture of the space industry, its downstream services activities, and its wider economic and social impacts. Who are the main space-faring nations? How large are revenues and how much employment is there in the sector? How much R&D goes on, and where? What is the value of spin-offs from space spending? Answers to these and other questions are provided in this second OECD statistical overview of the emerging space economy.
A dynamic link (StatLink) is provided for graphs, which directs the user to a web page where the corresponding data are available in Excel® format.
This eleventh edition of the OECD Communications Outlook covers developments such as the emergence of next generation access (NGA) networks and the imminent exhaustion of unallocated IPv4 addresses, and aims to provide an overview of efforts on the part of countries to promote competition and foster innovation in communication markets through regulation. It also examines the issues surrounding broadcasting markets, Internet infrastructure, communications expenditure and use by households and businesses, and trends in trade in telecommunications services. It finds that the communications sector has emerged from the global financial crisis (GFC) with a resilience and underlying strength reflecting its critical role in today’s economies.
The OECD Reviews of Innovation Policy: Russian Federation offers a comprehensive assessement of the innovation system of the Russian Federation, focusing on the role of government. It provides concrete recommendations on how to improve policies that affect innovation performance, including R&D policies. It also identifies good practice from which other countries can learn.
Demand-side innovation policies have been receiving increasing interest from a number of OECD countries in recent years in the context of slow growth and lagging productivity performance. Pressures on fiscal budgets in the aftermath of the financial crisis have also motivated governments to seek ways to boost innovation without necessarily engaging in new programme spending, primarily to meet social demands in areas such as health, energy or the environment.
This book examines dynamics between demand and innovation and provides insights into the rationale and scope for public policies to foster demand for innovation. It shows the potential - but also the limits - of using public procurement, regulations or standards to stimulate public and private demand for innovation, including among SMEs. Drawing on country experience and case studies, this report illustrates good practices for designing, implementing and evaluating demand-side innovation policies.
Regions and Innovation Policy addresses the needs of national and regional governments for greater clarity on how to strengthen the innovation capacity of regions. The first part of the book examines strategies, policies and governance, explaining why regions matter, what makes smart policy mixes, and multilevel governance. The second part of the book looks at agencies, instruments and country information, showing how agencis can maximize their impact and what policy instruments work. The final chapter provides country-by-country summaries of what countries are doing.
Attractiveness for investment in innovation is high on the policy agenda in many countries as innovation is a key factor of growth and competitiveness in OECD countries. Virtually all governments are keen to attract international investment by multinational enterprises (MNEs) as a means to promote growth and employment, create new jobs and bring in new technologies.
While all countries and regions have some policy measures in place that are aimed at increasing their attractiveness for innovation, it is less clear if these policies are effective.
This report analyses the current trends in international investment in innovation and the attractiveness policies already implemented. These are often based on the more traditional instruments for attracting international investment. The book also explores in more detail the role of investment incentives that governments tend to give to international investors: their rationale, their impact and their usefulness.
The evidence presented in this report raises clear policy issues and questions existing policies. A number of policy principles are formulated to guide policy makers.
The Basque Country region in Spain is world renowned for a successful industrial transformation, the urban regeneration of Bilbao, cultural distinctiveness, unique governance arrangements and high wealth levels. Over the last 30 years, the region has implemented its science, technology and innovation (STI) policy driven by a need to boost industrial competitiveness. The role of total factor productivity and innovation in driving growth was significant in the 1990s and declined in the early part of this decade, but appears to be on the rise again thanks in part to significant increases in public and private investment in innovation. The Basque Country has begun a transition from a model of incremental innovation in manufacturing to a model increasingly based on science and other forms of knowledge. Through a diagnostic of the innovation system and the policy mix, the review offers some policy and governance recommendations to achieve the region’s desired transition in light of global trends in the innovation process and innovation policy.
Innovation holds the key to ongoing improvements in living standards, as well as to solving pressing social challenges. Skilled people play a crucial role in innovation through the new knowledge they generate, how they adopt and develop existing ideas, and through their ability to learn new competencies and adapt to a changing environment.
This book seeks to increase understanding of the links between skills and innovation. It explores the wide range of skills required, ranging from technical to "soft", and the ability to learn; it presents data and evidence on countries' stocks and flows of skills and the links between skill inputs and innovation outputs. Given the importance of meeting the demands of knowledge-based economic activity, the book investigates the issues of skill supply, education, workplace training and work organisation. It highlights the importance of enabling individuals to acquire appropriate skills and of optimising these at work.
De grandes attentes reposent sur la technologie et l’innovation pour assurer une reprise économique rapide et durable. Mais quelles sont les implications pour la politique de la science et de l’innovation ? Quelles mesures les pays prennent-ils pour renforcer leurs capacités à cet égard ? Quelle place les pays émergents sont-ils appelés à occuper dans le paysage de la science, de la technologie et de l’innovation ?
Science, technologie et industrie : Perspectives de l’OCDE 2010 fait le point sur les principales tendances concernant la science, la technologie et l’innovation dans les pays de l’OCDE et dans un certain nombre de grandes économies émergentes comme l’Afrique du Sud, le Brésil, la Chine, l’Inde et la Russie. Au moyen des données et indicateurs les plus récents, cette publication aborde des thèmes qui sont au cœur des préoccupations des responsables de la politique économique : performances en matière de science et d’innovation ; évolutions des politiques nationales de la science, de la technologie et de l’innovation ; conception et évaluation des politiques d’innovation, y compris les interactions des différentes mesures et leur dosage. On trouvera également dans ces Perspectives, pour chaque pays, un profil individuel de ses performances en matière de science et d’innovation, situées dans le contexte propre au pays et par rapport à ses enjeux stratégiques.
In the search for a rapid, sustainable and lasting recovery from the economic crisis, science, technology and innovation are expected to play a driving role. But what are the implications for science and innovation policy? What steps are countries taking to boost their capabilities in these areas? What place are emerging economies likely to occupy in the science, technology and innovation landscape?
The OECD Science, Technology and Industry Outlook 2010 reviews key trends in science, technology and innovation in OECD countries and a number of major emerging economies including Brazil, China, India, Russia and South Africa. Using the latest available data and indicators, it examines topics high on the agenda of economic policy makers, including performance in science and innovation, trends in national science, technology and innovation policies and the design and assessment of innovation policy, including policy interactions and the “policy mix”. It provides individual profiles of the science and innovation performance of each country and relates these to their national context and current policy challenges.
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Governments are seeking to channel research funds into universities and other institutions in ways that support high-quality research in strategically important areas and bolster effective knowledge diffusion. These issues of steering and funding have even more relevance in light of the current financial crisis and economic downturn which have seen severe fiscal pressures fall on many countries.
This publication presents a collection of papers presented at an OECD workshop on performance-based funding of public research in tertiary education institutions. It takes stock of current thinking and practice around performance-based funding of public research in tertiary education institutions, as a tool to help governments meet their research goals. These funding models are essentially systems of ex-post evaluation of research outputs and outcomes from universities and other tertiary institutions, and are generally based on peer review, bibliometric or other quantitative indicators. Their results are used to inform government decisions about how much and which institutions to fund.
Nanotechnology has its origin in the converging abilities of physics, chemistry and materials science. Its purpose is the manipulation of atoms and molecules in order to create new properties of materials and systems for a wide variety of applications in a very broad range of sectors. Nanotechnology is forecast to create large markets and many new jobs and may be the springboard for industrial renewal and long-term growth. Governments around the world have targeted this emerging technology in their R&D investments and are strategising about the best ways to promote the responsible development and use of nanotechnology given the absence of any in-depth analysis of its commercialisation.
What are the potential economic impacts of nanotechnology, how are companies using nanotechnology for innovation, and what are the key challenges in its commercialisation? These are some of the issues that this book addresses, based on a large number of company case studies in several countries.
This review is the first to analyse e-government at the country level using a revised framework designed to capture the new challenges faced by countries today. It highlights the richness of initiatives and actions taken by Denmark in relation to a number of areas, including the impact of e-government on public sector modernisation and efficiency efforts, the impact of e-government organisational structure and arrangements on e-government development and administration, the need to address issues related to user take-up and the assessment of benefits realisation of e-government projects. As these are not unique to Denmark, but are commonly shared by a number of OECD countries, the study provides useful tools to support e-government policy making in all OECD countries.