Best management practices for corporate, academic and governmental transfer of sustainable technologies to developing countries

Innovations with respect to technologies that contribute to environmental sustainability have emerged within national government laboratories, international agencies and within academic research institutes. Since each of these entities is understandably more focused on ab initio research, conceptual development and proofs of concept, the production level manufacturing and broad dissemination of such technologies require development of best management practices (BMPs) for effective partnerships with and/or technology licensure to private sector industry. Alternatively, certain technologies that address specific environmental sustainability needs within the developing countries can be and have been transferred directly, either through bi-lateral transfers or through multi-lateral agencies, serving as intermediaries. The appropriateness of such transfers is contingent upon host country environmental, cultural and socio-political conditions, the type of technology involved, the “terms of transfer” and the relationships established between the technology conceivers and the end-users. The authors select examples of identified modes of sustainable technology transmission and derive experiential BMPs, which may be of some utility for future sustainable technology transfer. Moreover, in providing these BMPs, the historical record and contemporary caveats with respect to unregulated technology transfer, whether sustainable or otherwise, to developing countries and the array of corresponding proposed codes of conduct are examined, given the normative objective that such technologies should ultimately contribute to ecologically benign and societally beneficial objectives, such as environmental sustainability, equitable growth and poverty alleviation. These issues and the need to establish BMPs would be broadly relevant with the new focus on climate change-related technology funds and associated regional impact projects evolving across the globe and within the developing countries in particular.     

Developing countries and the aircraft industry: match or mismatch?

For many industrially developing countries, technology transfer is seen as a road towards technological and economic development. Indonesian experiences with the aircraft industry suggest that the transfer of technology in this sector is extremely difficult, and even if technology is actually transferred it does not necessarily lead to a viable industry. To determine the key elements for a successful transfer of technology, research was undertaken with a focus on the process of technology transfer at the operational level in industrially developing and developed countries. The research revealed that many technology transfer projects do not or, at best, only marginally contribute to technological development. It also showed that the aircraft industry, and possibly other industries as well, might be better suited to specific countries. To avoid making investments in industries that will inevitably not be competitive, industrially developing countries should be careful when deciding which types of industry to foster.     

Statistical profile of science and technology in India and Brazil

By making comparison of the science indicators, the author has critically examined the development of science and technology (S&T) in India and Brazil. The SWOT analysis indicate that, with the support of federal government, both of these developing countries have built capacities and capabilities in many areas of S&T towards attaining self-reliance and have developed potential to excel in the world-market and face challenges thereof. India and Brazil are continuing to make efforts for attaining the transition from a developing to a developed country and reviewing S&T policies towards achieving industrial competitiveness. The views expressed are the personal views of the author only.     

Is China's industrial policy effective? An empirical study of the new energy vehicles industry

China's traditional automobile industry lags behind that of the developed countries, but the development of New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) is an opportunity to catch up with the global automobile industry. In China, there has been a widespread attempt to “overtake on the curve” by developing cleaner technology for NEVs. To help with this transition, the Chinese government has introduced a large number of policies to promote the development of the NEV industry. In this study, we examined whether these policies have been effective by analyzing data about policies for China's NEV industry from 2006 to 2018, as well as the NEV patents filed in the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Korea, and China from 1988 to 2018. This paper uses quantitative analysis of policies and factor analysis. The results of the policy quantification regression analysis show that China's industrial policy has a significant influence on the number of patents. For example, China's aim to promote technological progress has been effective in developing an indigenous NEV industry, but whether China will succeed in “overtaking on the curve” is still unclear. The current state of development of NEV patents does not show China have a leading edge in NEV technology. China's NEV industry policies should be further strengthened, especially the core policies on technological innovation.     

Analysis of Factors that Affect Government Digitization: A Pilot Case Study of Pakistan

One of the greatest factors that affects the economic condition of a country is its institutions. In the model of good governance, the primary elements for stronger institution include efficiency, transparency, and accountability; and technology plays a major role in improving these elements. However, there are myriad of challenges when it comes to practical integration of technology in these institutions for efficiency. It is more challenging when a country is developing and one that is already weak economically. It is also important to mention that the challenges of digitization in public sector is not limited to developing countries only. It is equally challenging, even today, in already developed countries to digitally transform their public institutions for improved policymaking and for responsive service delivery. Many factors contribute to the failure of such digitization initiatives, more so within developing countries. And the purpose of this paper is to identify those factors, to measure the significance of each of those factors, and to realize and overcome them. This research considered the case study of Pakistan; however, the results are very likely to match the conditions of other developing regions around the world. Through questionnaires and interviews, valuable feedback was gathered from up to 25 senior government officers that are closely associated with digitization initiatives in public sector. The feedback to the questions were overall unanimous. The results indicate the most significant of factors that affect government digitization in this developing region, including some factors that were not expected.     

The effects and time lags of R&D spillovers in Brazil

Government's innovation investments for science intensive sectors, such as the capital goods industry for developing countries play an important role in technology dissemination; however, few studies have addressed this issue. This study is conducted in the framework of a developing economy (Brazil), and aims to estimate the spillover effects throughout the industry resulting from public investment in innovation, as well as the spillovers of R&D and management investment performed by the capital goods industry through the rest of the industrial sector, and also the time lapse between the occurrence of innovative investment and output growth due to such expenditures. The results of the estimated econometric model exhibit significant and positive spillover effects by the government R&D expenditures for the capital goods industry with a three-year lapse, as well as a one-year lag for the occurrence of output effects on the other companies of the manufacturing sector, resulting from innovative investments by the capital goods industry.     

EVOLUTION OF TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES FOR TAIWAN'S SEMICONDUCTOR INDUSTRY: FORMATION OF RESEARCH CONSORTIA

As the world enters the twenty-first century, technology is now more than ever the key factor in the promotion of industrial development and economic growth. This presents an enormous but unavoidable challenge for developing countries; they must carry out their industrial technology development in such a way as to create strong high-tech industries that can successfully compete in the global market, while moving their national economies in the direction of prosperity. In light of these challenges, an overall technology development strategy has become the critical success factor for an industry in terms of technology acquisition, diffusion and application. Over the course of the past three decades, Taiwan has regarded the semiconductor industry as one of the most strategically important of the high-tech industries. Since starting with a few downstream assembly plants in the 1960s, the semiconductor industry has developed into a comprehensive industrial system with vertical and horizontal division of labor. It has gone through various growth stages, involving foreign-capital-based assembly, manufacturing technology transfer, growth of local plants, industrial system expansion and upgrading by industrial cooperation. The corresponding strategies for technology development cover technology introduction, technology transfer and cooperative R&D, with gradually escalating technological capabilities successfully encouraging industrial growth. The semiconductor industry has not only become the leading industry of the Hsinchu Science-based Industrial Park, but it has also generated revenues ranked fourth highest in the world. This article studies strategies adopted at different stages by Taiwan's semiconductor industry in its technological development, focusing specifically on the research consortium strategy and the case of the industry consortium, the Advanced Semiconductor Technology Research Organization (ASTRO).     

Topical review of artificial intelligence national policies: A mixed method analysis

A number of countries have adopted national policies and directives to balance the advantages and disadvantages of innovative technologies. The purpose of this paper is to identify the most prominent topics addressed by national AI policies, as well as their relative importance across nations. This paper integrates the results of a topic modeling analysis of 30 national AI policies with a qualitative content analysis of the policies. Based on this analysis, fourteen main common themes have been identified among national AI policies, which predominantly relate to educational, technological, government, ethical/legal, and social good concerns. Following this, we conducted a co-occurrence analysis of topics across countries to determine the extent of topic prioritization in each country. In this investigation, several marginalized AI policy topics were also identified. In general, the challenges and concerns of the majority of policies pertain to education, technology, and the government. Governments refer to real-world projects and investments in AI technologies without developing shared digital governance platforms that promote responsible and sustainable AI among technology titans and mitigate the negative effects of surveillance capitalism. Although governments acknowledge the ethical and legal aspects of AI development and frequently cite the GDPR, they limit their discussion to the data level, particularly data sharing, and marginalize ethical algorithms and other phases of data and AI management and design. In addition, government policies marginalize AI startups and the API economy, even though they play a crucial role in fostering the AI ecosystem. The paper contributes to the existing literature on AI policy and will serve as a guide for AI policymakers to help them better understand the topical similarities across countries and the neglected or marginalized challenges that require further attention.     

Prediction of traffic fatalities and prospects for mobility becoming sustainable-safe

The macroscopic trend of road traffic fatalities in any motorized country is described and predicted by the product of rather well fitting functions of time for the exponential decay of fatality risk per unit of traffic volume and the S-shaped Gompertz function of traffic volume growth. This product defines a single-peaked development of road traffic deaths, where its peak reaches earlier the sooner and faster a nation or region motorizes massively. Since in developing countries long series of traffic volume data are absent, another model for the fit and prediction of road traffic fatalities for developing countries is used, based on the relationships of income level per capita with road traffic mortality. Also this model implies that at some point in time road traffic deaths will start declining for ever, also worldwide. After empirically derived corrections for missing or incomplete data and police under-reporting, it is estimated that 1·2 million deaths and almost 8 million serious injuries are caused by road traffic worldwide in 2000. Using realistic income level predictions the new income-dependent model predicts markedly later and higher fatality peaks than the verified time-dependent model. It might be assumed that the developing countries could learn faster to increase their road safety by knowledge transfer from developed countries. Four prediction scenarios are specified for modified income-dependent models of road traffic death and serious injury developments up to 2050. Depending on the scenario the world total of road fatalities begins to reduce soon or only after 2035 with a global peak of about 1·8 million road traffic deaths, where the national fatality reduction starts later the lower the national income per capita is. Without the potentially achievable learning scenario the road fatality reductions in developed countries may not be enough to compensate the road fatality increases in developing countries, while road fatality increases may even occur after 2060 in countries with the lowest levels of income per capita.     

Standardization for advanced materials: experience and strategies for the future

Materials technology has been identified by most industrialized nations as a key enabling technology which will provide major economic and competitive advantages to industry. Numerous market forecasts show a strong growth potential in advanced materials applications in diverse industrial sectors. This paper discusses the need for standards and standardized methods for material specification and how this can stimulate the market by providing increased confidence in the design and performance of products. Only a limited number of standards exist for advanced materials, but recently there has been an upsurge of interest worldwide and some countries are very active in developing standards. This is illustrated for some key materials sectors such as advanced ceramics and polymer-matrix composites. Standardization of test and evaluation methods for advanced materials is seen by many countries as a priority area. Methods used for conventional materials can be modified but in some cases new methods have to be developed, both of which approaches require underpinning research. Trade in materials is international in nature and therefore it is very important to harmonize national standards and develop truly international standards which will help remove technical barriers to trade. This requires effort at a national level in order to collaborate in the international fora and negotiate from a position of strength. Both producers and users of materials need to become involved in standards-related activities. In underpinning prestandards research VAMAS, the Versailles Project on Advanced Materials, plays an important role and is developing an internationally recognized technical infrastructure from which standards can be developed. This paper discusses the need and scope for international collaboration in standards-related activities. This paper was presented at the National Workshop on Standardization for Advanced Materials, Strategic Issues, a collaborative effort of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), National Materials Policy Project (TIFAC/DST) and Confederation of Engineering Industry (CEI).     

Econo-techno dynamic model for promotion of maritime industries in the developing countries

The computer simulation model proposed in this study enables a policy planner in a developing country to assess the contribution of new marine transportation technology to the national economy, and to find an optimal scheme for introducing the new technology. The simulation model consists of the national economic cycle submodel (econo-submodel) and the maritime industry technology submodel (techno-submodel). The econo-submodel, which utilizes input-output analysis, can evaluate the multiplying effects on the national economy of preferential investments in the marine transportation system. The techno-submodel may be characterized as a production planning model for the marine transportation system. The techno-submodel is also furnished with several functions such as (1) forecasting the demand for marine transportation, (2) optimizing the merchant marine fleet, (3) planning the development of port facilities, (4) planning the service of ship repairing, and (5) deciding on feasible investment under several constraints. The two submodels include several parameters with respect to economics and technology as exogenous variables and are mutually linked to trade and investment

The new technologies introduced into marine industry are categorized from the viewpoints of labour-saving and energy-saving technology. The degree of containerization of general cargo in liner services and ‘Segregated Ballast Tank (SBT)’ in tanker services are taken into consideration. Port facilities are reinforced corresponding to new shipping technology. The optimal allocation of investment between ships and ports depends on the trade-off of the capital efficiency

The uniqueness of this study is in the potential for the quantitative evaluation, by means of national economic indicators, of the effect of introducing the new technology     

US Foreign Affiliates,Technology Diffusion and Host Country Human Development: Human Development Index versus Human Capital

In this study, we use a cross-sectionally correlated and timewise autoregressive model and panel data for the period 1966–2000 to investigate human development as a measure of host country absorptive capacity in 30 developed and developing countries. The results suggest that technology diffusion from US foreign affiliates has a positive and significant impact on labor productivity only if host countries have a minimum level of human development. This condition may partially explain why previous studies show mixed support for the hypothesis that foreign affiliates have a positive effect on productivity in developing countries. Although the results have to be interpreted with caution, the policy implication is that human development enhances the capacity of countries to reap the benefits of foreign direct investments.     

Science and technology policies: The case of India

During the years preceding India's independence on August 15, 1947, the Indian National Congress focused considerable attention on the importance of science and technology, including scientific planning in an independent country. Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of independent India, held the portfolio for science and technology, as have most of his successors. Nehru was largely responsible for Parliament's adoption of the 1958 Science Policy Resolution. In 1971, the governments of Indira Gandhi and her son, Rajiv Gandhi, took important steps to integrate scientific planning with economic planning. During these years, significant new government institutions were created. The current government of Manmohan Singh, which maintains an active national science advisory committee, has made significant changes in the Indian government's science and technology structure and is creating new institutions for science, technology, and higher education.Currently, India's total investment in research and development is somewhat less than 1% of the gross domestic product, but this ratio is expected to rise to 2% or more in the next few years. The government currently accounts for 85–90% of the country's R&D, but there are indications that private-sector investments will become more important.India has long enjoyed wide-ranging cooperation with several countries, including the US, Western Europe, the Soviet Union, and Russia. During the years immediately following independence, the UK exerted more influence on Indian science than any other country. Today the US has considerable influence, especially as it is also a preferred destination for Indian students and post-doctoral fellows.     

中外汽车产业管理体系对比研究

目前,我国汽车产业正处在由大变强的关键阶段,而欧洲、美国、日本等汽车工业发达国家和地区已经形成较成熟的汽车管理体系,对我国建设和谐汽车社会和推动汽车强国建设具有重要的借鉴意义。通过对比我国与发达国家汽车产业管理体系,总结我国汽车产业管理体系存在的问题和缺陷,并借鉴发达国家经验提出包括改革车辆管理体制、推进法制化建设、发挥市场机制作用、加强战略引导、鼓励技术创新在内的优化调整建议。     

A new model for public-private partnerships

In the United States, federal technology transfer programs, public-private initiatives, national centers for technology and manufacturing, research and development consortia, and university outreach centers have all been developed as public-investment-based solutions to enhancing economic competitiveness. Each of these activities has problems and shortcomings associated with it. In lieu of these traditional programs, an expanded, integrated, and self-sufficient model for public-private partnerships is proposed through which 503(c) nonprofit organizations can manage and operate technology extension programs for the state or federal government. This approach addresses small, medium, and large business in an integrated fashion in terms of nine sectors of economic competitiveness. Methods for acquiring and utilizing technology and accessing government markets are proposed. A unique method for obtaining self-sufficiency and growth is developed. The presented model leverages federal investments into an independent and self-sufficient, privately-funded partnership. This type of entrepreneurial approach to public-private initiatives has been conspicuously absent from the majority of existing federal and state funded technology programs. It is expected that this model will lead to a higher rate of return on public investment.     

Value of a statistical life in road safety: A benefit-transfer function with risk-analysis guidance based on developing country data

We model a value of statistical life (VSL) transfer function for application to road-safety engineering in developing countries through an income-disaggregated meta-analysis of scope-sensitive stated preference VSL data. The income-disaggregated meta-analysis treats developing country and high-income country data separately. Previous transfer functions are based on aggregated datasets that are composed largely of data from high-income countries. Recent evidence, particularly with respect to the income elasticity of VSL, suggests that the aggregate approach is deficient because it does not account for a possible change in income elasticity across income levels. Our dataset (a minor update of the OECD database published in 2012) includes 123 scope-sensitive VSL estimates from developing countries and 185 scope-sensitive estimates from high-income countries. The transfer function for developing countries gives VSL = 1.3732E−4 × (GDP per capita)^∧2.478, with VSL and GDP per capita expressed in 2005 international dollars (an international dollar being a notional currency with the same purchasing power as the U.S. dollar). The function can be applied for low- and middle-income countries with GDPs per capita above $1268 (with a data gap for very low-income countries), whereas it is not useful above a GDP per capita of about $20,000. The corresponding function built using high-income country data is VSL = 8.2474E+3 × (GDP per capita)^∧.6932; it is valid for high-income countries but over-estimates VSL for low- and middle-income countries. The research finds two principal significant differences between the transfer functions modeled using developing-country and high-income-country data, supporting the disaggregated approach. The first of these differences relates to between-country VSL income elasticity, which is 2.478 for the developing country function and .693 for the high-income function; the difference is significant at p < 0.001. This difference was recently postulated but not analyzed by other researchers. The second difference is that the traffic-risk context affects VSL negatively in developing countries and positively in high-income countries. The research quantifies uncertainty in the transfer function using parameters of the non-absolute distribution of relative transfer errors. The low- and middle-income function is unbiased, with a median relative transfer error of −.05 (95% CI: −.15 to .03), a 25th percentile error of −.22 (95% CI: −.29 to −.19), and a 75th percentile error of .20 (95% CI: .14 to .30). The quantified uncertainty characteristics support evidence-based approaches to sensitivity analysis and probabilistic risk analysis of economic performance measures for road-safety investments.     

Public perception of nanotechnology: A contrast between developed and developing countries

Nanotechnology is an emerging technology that has many proven applications and holds potential in many sectors. At the same time, the general public's lack of awareness about nanotechnology might polarize risk perception about this technology. Public discourse and upstream engagement are necessary for policymaking and responsible development of any emerging technology. While emerging countries have now joined the discussion on the public perception of emerging technologies just like the developed countries, yet there has been no review comparing the nanotechnology perception among developing and developed nations. This article presents a systematic review of factors influencing public perception and their attitude towards nanotechnology in developed and developing countries based on research papers published during 2001–2020. We have provided an in-depth comparative account of developed and developing countries in terms of factors affecting public perception of nanotechnology, namely –risk-benefit, knowledge, trust in science, religiosity, and demographics. In addition, we have also provided a contrast on how media representation of nanotechnology (newspaper coverage and social media) varies in developing countries compared to developed nations.     

Patent documentation may help develop rural areas

Appropriate technology can be developed to improve living conditions in remote rural areas. In transfer of technology, patent documents may play an important role. A Documentation and Information Centre for developing countries should be specifically directed to assist in this transfer of technology. In this respect, the usefulness is demonstrated, of patents dealing with simple manual tools such as spades and of patents relating to solar energy.     

From industry targeting to technology targeting: A policy paradigm shift in the 1980s

The 1980s represent an era in which the governments of many industrialized countries changed their policies regarding international competition. This paper investigates the initiation of important technological programs and the adjustments made to the missions of government organizations and agencies in Japan, the United States, and nine countries in Western Europe. It is suggested that, over the past decade or so, there has been a pervasive shift towards the technological dimension in government policy in the industrialized world. On the one hand, overt industry targeting seems to have waned or not to have increased significantly; on the other hand, technology targeting has become more explicit and market-oriented. This trend implies a convergence of, and a head-on competition between, national innovation policies.     

Identifying Lead Markets in the European Automotive Industry: An Indicator-based Approach

This paper presents an indicator-based methodology to identify lead markets in the European automotive industry. The lead market approach tries to explain why certain countries are better positioned than others for developing and launching new products. While much research stresses the role of excellence in technology and interaction among users and producers, the lead market approach focuses on the role of demand characteristics. Based on the concept of innovation design, a lead market is defined as a country where customers prefer that design which subsequently becomes the globally dominant design. We use an indicator-based approach which has been successfully employed for individual products as well as for various industries in order to identify lead markets in the European automotive industry. Employing five lead market factors, our results show that the EU is by far no homogeneous market for automobiles and national markets differ considerably in their lead market potential. The German market is found to be most promising to serve as a lead market, while other European countries with a strong automotive tradition like France, Italy, the UK, and Sweden score lower. Our findings suggest that firms from the automotive industry should exploit this diversity of market characteristics within Europe when developing and launching new products.