John Gabriel Goddard

Globalization and technology absorption in Europe and Central Asia : the role of trade, FDI, and cross-border knowledge flows

This study analyzes the extent of knowledge and technology absorption for firms in Europe and Central Asia (ECA), as well as the factors that influence absorption, using statistical analyses of various data sources, including the World Bank enterprise surveys, patent databases maintained by the United States (U.S.) and European patent offices, and case studies. The study addresses the following issues: (i) what can we learn from patents and patent citations about international knowledge flows and cross-national technological cooperation in ECA? (ii) How does openness to trade, participation in global supply networks, and investment in human capital, via on-the-job training, enhance knowledge and technology absorption in ECA-region manufacturing firms? How does foreign direct investment (FDI) stimulate acquisition of managerial and technical skills, new machinery and equipment, and market development?

Igniting innovation : rethinking the role of government in emerging Europe and Central Asia

This book builds on the lessons from public institutions and programs to support innovation, both successful and failed, from Europe and Central Asia (ECA) as well as China, Finland, Israel, and the United States. Field visits to these countries were hosted by the innovation and scientific agencies of the respective governments, strengthening the international experiences presented here. This book is a culmination of ten years of analytic and operational work led by the private and financial sector development department and the chief economists office of the ECA region of the World Bank. Several regional reports and country policy notes exploring these issues have been published over the years. The book also reflects the lively discussion in the ongoing series of flagship events to promote knowledge based economies in the region. The most recent knowledge economy forum was held in Berlin in 2010, hosted by the fraunhofer center for Central and Eastern Europe. The book identifies policies that have an adverse affect on innovation. It also identifies policy gaps that, if filled, could have a catalytic effect on private sector innovation.

How Do Public Laboratories Collaborate with Industry? New Survey Evidence from France

This paper uses a survey of 130 public laboratories in France to investigate collaborative activities of laboratories with industry. Our statistical analysis shows that knowledge and technology development and transfer occurs most frequently through collaborative and contract research, informal exchanges, conferences, and consortia. The main benefits from the perspective of laboratories are the tangible and intangible inputs received –funds, materials, research suggestions and data. The outputs of collaboration are most often theses and publications along with technological artefacts (new products & processes, software) while patents, licenses and copyrights are less frequent. Collaboration with industry leads laboratories to conduct research in a more timely and reliable way, as well as focused in more applied areas.

Managing Intellectual Assets within Knowledge-based Partnerships: Insights from a Survey of Public Laboratories Collaborating with Industry

When public research laboratories and industry meet to produce and exchange knowledge and technologies, they face decisions about how to frame these collaborations to make the best use of each partner’s resources, ensure a productive and fair outcome, and defuse any tensions and conflicts. In this paper we examine these questions through a survey of 130 public laboratories in France. This study contributes new insights into the characteristics of contractual and intellectual property agreements within collaborative R&D settings, which reflect both the strategies adopted by laboratories to manage their intellectual assets and the requirements of their private partners.

First Findings from the Survey of European Business Incubators

This report presents the main findings of a new survey of 170 European business incubators. It finds that a large share of surveyed incubators began to operate in the last 5 years. The survey suggests that upwards of 5,500 people work in Europes business incubators, offering services to around 24,000 firms. Most incubators offer a range of options that reduce starting-up risks, going from flexible lease terms to risk management tools. External financing shortages regularly affect incubated firms, which often rely on public support from national and EU programs.

Explaining the Balance between Publications and Patents as Outputs from Public-Private Collaborative R&D: An Empirical Study on French Data

R&D collaboration between firms and public research organizations (PROs) is considered a key component of national systems of innovation. A direct benefit from these collaborations is the production of new scientific and technological knowledge, which is disseminated essentially through publications and patents. In this paper, we empirically address the issue of the economic factors shaping the publishing and patenting patterns in public-private R&D collaborative settings by drawing on the data from a survey conducted among laboratories of the largest French public research organizations in the chemistry and life sciences fields. We consistently find that consortia collaborations tend to discard patents while they are supported by the development of new product innovations. Moreover, the proportion of post-docs in the laboratory’s workforce is correlated with more patents than publications. This result is original and highlights the key role played by post-docs for the production of commercially relevant knowledge in French public-private R&D partnerships. It stresses the need for more explicit human resource management tools and policies directed towards this fraction of the knowledge production workforce.

Entrepreneurship, Business Incubation, and External Finance: An Analysis Based on the Theory of Incomplete Contracts

This paper offers an analysis of the arrangements through which business incubators furnish seed finance and entrepreneurial-specific assets based on the theory of incomplete contracts. Specifically, I compare bargaining games in which (i) an investor offers finance under non-verifiability, which can be put to different uses by the entrepreneur, and (ii) an incubator offers a contract bundling financial provision to entrepreneurial-specific business services. The results highlight negative financial and economic consequences of incomplete contracting for entrepreneurship and how business incubation may partially overcome moral hazard risks, fostering investment in marginal firms that would not otherwise obtain funds and reducing the rate of start-up failure.