Determinants of Innovation in Emerging Country: an empirical study at the Tunisian firm level

Gabsi, Foued and Mhenni, Hatem and Koouba, Karim (2010): Determinants of Innovation in Emerging Country: an empirical study at the Tunisian firm level. Published in: International Journal of Technological Learning, Innovation and Development , Vol. 3, No. 3 (2010)

Abstract

Explaining why some firms innovate and some others do not is an out-of-date challenge in the economic literature. In developing countries context, such exercise is even more complicated by the nature of the innovation (incremental, occasional and rarely continuous and structured). In this paper, an exploratory tentative logistic regression is presented based on an Innovation survey on Tunisian firms. With regard to the results on the two "traditional" determinants of innovation which are the size of firms and the market structure, the main findings of this work are the following: econometric estimations have put forward the existence of an inverted "U" type relationship between decision to innovate and these two variables. On the other hand, it seems that neither skills of workers nor public incentives were significant to explain the innovation behaviour of Tunisian firms.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Industry dynamics; Innovation systems; Development economics; Sectoral systems of innovation
• Subjects: O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O3 - Innovation ; Research and Development ; Technological Change ; Intellectual Property Rights

References

Acs Z .J. and Audretsch D.B. (1991): "R&D, Firm Size and Innovative Activity", in Z. J. Acs et D. B. Audretsch (dir.), Innovation and Technological Change, Ann Arbor, University of Michigan Press.

Äkerblom M., Virtaharju M. and Leppäahti A. (1996): "A Comparison of R&D Surveys, Innovation Surveys and Patent Statistics Based on Finnish Data", Innovation, Patents and Technological Strategies. Paris: OCDE.

Arrow K. (1962): "The Economic Implications of Learning by Doing ", Review of economic studies, 29.

Arvanitis R., M’henni H. and Tsipouri L (2008): "Innovation policies in the context of North-Africa: Where do we stand and what do the innovation surveys reveal?", To be presented at Europe-Latin America Conference on Science and Innovation Policy. September. Mexico City.

Arvanitis S. and Hollenstein H. (1994): "Demand and Supply Factors in Explaining the Innovative Activity of Swiss Manufacturing Firms ", Economics of Innovation and New Technology. 3.

Baldwin J. R. (1997). "Innovation et propriété intellectuelle". No 88-515-XPF au catalogue. Ottawa: Statistique Canada.

Baldwin J.R. and Johnson J. (1995): "Business Strategies in Innovative and Non-Innovative Firms in Canada", Research Policy 25.

Burns T. and G. M. Stalker (1961): "The Management of Innovation", Londres, Tavistock, Publications Ltd.

Caves R.E. (1982): "Multinational Enterprise and Economic Analysis". Cambridge, Mass.: Cambridge University Press.

Cohen W. (1996): "Empirical Studies of Innovative Activity", in P. Stoneman (dir.) The Handbook of the Economics of Technological Change. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.

Cohen W. M. and Klepper S. (1996):"A Reprise of Size and R&D", Economic Journal, 106.

Cohen W. M. and Klepper S. (1996b): "Firm Size and the Nature of Innovation Within Industries: The Case of Process and Product R&D", Review of Economics and Statistics, Vol. 78 (2), May.

Crépon B., Duguet E. and Kabla I. (1996): "Schumpeterian Conjectures: A Moderate Support from Various Innovation Measures", in Determinants of Innovation: The Message from New Indicators. Under the direction of A. Kleinknecht. Amsterdam: MacMillan.

Dahlman C.J., Ross-Larson B. and Westphal L.E. (1987): "Managing Technological Development, Lessons from the Newly Industrializing Countries», World Development, vol. 15.

De Melto D., McMullen K. and Wills R. (1980): "Innovation and Technological Change in Five Canadian Industries" Discussion Paper No.176, Ottawa: Conseil économique du Canada.

Dodgson M. (2000): "The Management of Technological Innovation", Oxford, Oxford University Press.

Duguet E. (1999) : "Macro-commandes SAS pour l' économétrie des panels et des variables qualitatives», Document de travail, DESE G9914, INSEE.

Evenson R.E. and Westphal L.E. (1995): "Technological Change and Technology Strategy", in Handbook of Development Economics, vol. IIIa, Elsevier Science Publishers.

Katz B. (1994): "Using Natural Language Annotationin the Voyager Information System", International Aerospace Congress; IACMoscow Russia.

Keogh W. and Evans G. (1998): "Strategies for growth and the barriers faced by new technologybasedSMEs", Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, vol. 5, nº 4.

Koubaa K. (2006): "Ouverture commerciale, IDE et externalités technologiques dans les pays en développement : Cas de la Tunisie, du Maroc et de la Turquie", Revue Tunisienne d’Economie et de Gestion, Vol XXIII, n°23, Décembre.

Koubaa K. (2008): «Les déterminants de l’innovation dans un pays émergent : analyse théorique et étude empirique sur données d’entreprises en Tunisie », Thèse de doctorat en Sciences Economiques, Université de Sfax, Mars 2008.

Le Bas C. and Torre A. (1993) : "Survey sur les surveys d’innovation : une première évaluation des enquêtes d’innovation européennes", Revue d’Economie Industrielle N° 65.

Levin R.C., Klevorick K., Nelson R. and Winter S. (1987): "Appropriating the Returns from Industrial Research and Development", Brooking Papers on Economic Activity, Vol. 3.

M’henni H. (2003) : "Mesure et déterminants de l’innovation : une analyse empirique sur un échantillon d’entreprises manufacturières tunisiennes", dans Intégration euro-méditerranéenne et stratégies économiques. Collection : Emploi, Industrie et Territoire, Ed. L’Harmattan.

Major E.J. and Cordey-Hayes M. (2003) :"Encouraging Innovation in Small Firms Through Externally Generated Knowledge ", dans L. V. Shavinina (dir.) The International Handbook on Innovation, Oxford, Elsevier Science Ltée.

Mansfield E. (1986): "Patents and Innovation: An Empirical Study", Management Science, Vol. 32.

Mowery D. and Rosenberg N. (1989): "Technology and the Pursuit of Economic Growth". Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

OCDE (1999) : "Pour un monde solidaire", le Nouvel agenda social.

OCDE (2005): "Oslo Manual, Guidelines for Collecting and Interpreting Innovation Data", Paris, OCDE and Eurostat.

Rothwell R. and Zegweld W. (1982): "Innovation and the small and medium sized firm", Frances Pinter: London, UK.

Rouvinen P. (2002): "R&D-Productivity Dynamics Causality, Lags and Dry Holes". Journal of Applied Economics, Vol. V, no. 1.

Scherer F. M. (1983): "The propensity to patent"; International Journal of Industrial Organisation.

Scherer F.M. (1983): "The propensity to patent"; International Journal of Industrial Organisation.

Sheskin D.J. (2007): "The Handbook of Parametric and Non parametric Statistical Procedures." Fourth Edition, Chapman & HALL/CRC.

Slappendel C. (1996): "Perspectives on Innovation in Organizations ", Organization Studies.

Stiglitz J.E. (2006): "Un autre monde, contre le fanatisme du marché", Fayard, Paris.

Storey D.J. (1994) "Understanding Small Firms. Routledge ", London.

Strebel P. (1987): "Organizing for Innovation Over an Industry Cycle ", Strategic Management Journal, vol. 8, nº 2.

Thomas A. (2000): "L’économétrie des variables qualitatives", Dunod.

Vossen R.W. (1998): "Relative Strenghts and Weaknesses of Small Firms in Innovation", International Small Business Journal, vol. 16, nº 3.

Wolff J.A. and Pett T.L. (2006): "Small-Firm Performance: Modeling the Role of Product and Process Improvements", Journal of Small Business Management, vol. 44, nº 2.