The IPL newsletter: Volume 1, Issue 4

INTRODUCTION

This newsletter is published by The Innovation Policy Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto, and sponsored by the Ministry of Research and Innovation. The views and ideas expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Ontario Government.

Ontario Economic Outlook, April 2000

This bi-annual Industry Canada publication highlights Ontario’s economic performance over the past year.  The report is available at:

http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/SSG/ra01755e.html?he=y

The Changing Work Force in ICT Industries in Canada

This series of three reports was prepared by Wendy Hansen for Industry Canada, Statistics Canada, and the Maastricht Economic Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).  They examine how the work force in ICT industries in Canada has been changing during a period of deregulation, structural change, global competitiveness and increased person mobility. A copy of the papers is available at:

http://meritbbs.unimaas.nl/publications.html

Science Statistics, Vol. 24 #2, Biotechnology Research and Development (R&D) in Canadian Industry, 1997
Recently published by Statistics Canada, this report  highlights the R&D performance of the Biotechnology Industry in Canada.  The report (88-001-XPB) is now available through paid subscription at www.statcan.ca under Products and Services, Downloadable Publications ($).

http://www.statcan.ca:80/english/IPS/Data/88-001-XIB.htm

Monthly Economic Indicators, May 2000

Industry Canada’s Monthly Economic Indicators for May 2000 is now available.  The report presents a variety of analysis and data on the Canadian economy.

http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/sc_ecnmy/mera/engdoc/03.html?he=y

The New Economy

Two new  reports from the National Governers’ Association (NGA), “Using Research and Development to Grow State Economies” and “Building States Economies By Promoting University-Industry Technology Transfer,” identify research and development (R&D) as a fundamental economic development building block in the new economy and call on states to invest in universities and the private sector as ways to ensure that they have strong R&D bases.  For more information see:

http://www.nga.org/Releases/PR-7June2000Research.asp

New Reports from the Advanced Technology Program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology

“Reinforcing Interactions Between the Advanced Technology and State Technology Programs: Volume 1: A Guide to State Business Assistance Programs for New Technology Creation and Commercialization,”  was prepared by Marsha R.B. Schachtel and Maryann P. Feldman. The report  illustrates, through selected examples, the types of business and technology development services and programs offered by state governments to assist start-up companies and small firms in business development or in the development and commercialization of new technologies.

“Managing Technical Risk: Understanding Private Sector Decision Making on Early State Technology-based Projects,” was prepared by Lewis M. Branscomb, Kenneth P. Morse, and Michael J. Roberts.  This report to NIST-ATP from workshops held in June and September 1999 has two main sections: 1) the report of the project team; and 2) the collection of contributed papers.

“Capital Formation and Investment in Venture Markets: Implications for the Advanced Technology Program” by Paul Gompers and Josh Lerner. This study focuses on the special problems of new high-tech firms that are highly dependent on external sources of funding for the R&D.

These and other reports are available at:

www.atp.nist.gov/atp/pubs.htm.

eTech Transfer 2000.  Making Partnerships Work

Published in February by the Office of Technology Policy within the U.S. Department of Commerce, this paper reviews the activities of government agencies and the private sector under U.S. Technology Transfer laws.  A copy of the paper is available at:

http://tapreview.nist.gov/PRel/cd110a.pdf

Discovery and Innovation: Federal Research and Development Activities in the Fifty States, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico

This report was prepared by RAND for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The report analyzes the nature, magnitude and whereabouts of the individual activities that make up the federal government’s R&D portfolio. Organized on a state-by-state basis, the study identifies and describes virtually all federally funded R&D activities within the states and provide estimates of funding and employment numbers for each operation. A copy of the report is available at:

http://www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR1194/

U.S. Metro Economies: The Engines of America’s Growth

The United States Conference of Mayors and the National Association of Counties released their third annual report report entitled “U.S. Metro economies: The Engines of America’s Growth” in May. This year’s report was prepared by Standard & Poor’s DRI and documents the contribution of urban centres to total American economic output. According to the report:

-U. S. metro areas account for 85% of the nation’s gross domestic product;
-Metro areas are now generating 84% of the nation’s employment and 88% percent of the nation’s labor income;
-Metro economies are responsible for 86%, or more than $2.4 trillion, of the nation’s economic growth from 1992 to 1999; and
-95% of high tech, and 94% of business services jobs created between 1992 and 1999 are in metro areas.
The full report is available at

http://usmayors.org/citiesdrivetheeconomy/

University of Texas Annual Report on the Internet Economy

According to this recently published report,the Internet Economy supported an additional 650,000 jobs in 1999 as revenues soared to over half a trillion dollars.  The report  claims that the Internet Economy now directly supports 2.476 million workers and that revenue for Internet Economy companies grew at an annual rate of 11 percent from 1998 to 1999, nearly three times the growth rate of the economy as a whole.  The report is available at:

http://www.internetindicators.com/

The Internet and the New Economy

In this policy brief published by the Brookings Institute, Alan Blinder addresses the question, are we in a new economy?

http://www.brookings.edu/comm/PolicyBriefs/pb060/pb60.htm

Europe 2002: An Information Society for All

The eEurope initiative was launched by the European Commission in December 1999 with the objective to bring Europe on-line.  This draft action plan was prepared by the  European Commission in June.

http://europa.eu.int/comm/information_society/eeurope/pdf/draftactionplan_en.pdf

The Learning Economy – Firms, Regions and Nation specific Institutions

On June 15, 16 & 17 the Danish Research Unit for Industrial Dynamics (DRUID) held its Summer 2000 Conference in Rebild, Denmark. Conference proceedings are available at:

http://www.business.auc.dk/druid/summer2000/papergal.htm

The Dynamics of Collective Invention

This paper was prepared by Robin Cowan and Nicolas Jonard for the Maastricht Economic Research Institute on Innovation and
Technology (MERIT).  The authors develop a “formal model that accounts for the dynamics of knowledge and collective invention, and examine how the architecture of the network of agents influences patterns and rate of innovation.”  A copy of the paper is available at:

http://meritbbs.unimaas.nl/rmpdf/2000/rm2000_018.pdf

Mapping the Two Faces of R&D.  Productivity Growth in a Panel of OECD Industries

This paper was prepared by Rachel Griffith, Stephen Redding and John Van Reenen for the Institue for Fiscal Studies.  The authors argue  that there has been convergence of total productivity factor within a panel of industries across thirteen OECD countries since 1970.  R&D and human capital are identified as important factors in this convergence.  A copy of the paper is available at:

http://www1.ifs.org.uk/workingpapers/wp0002.pdf

Enhancing the Competitiveness of SMES in the Global Economy: Strategies and Policies

This Conference took place in Bologna, Italy on 14-15 June 2000.  It aimed to increase the understanding of issues and policies related to SME competitiveness in the global economy – in particular, with regard to innovation, clusters and industrial districts, and electronic commerce – and to propose concrete and feasible initiatives through which the globalization of SMEs may be facilitated.  Conference proceedings and related publications are available at:

http://www.ocde.org/dsti/sti/industry/smes/news/bologna.htm

HYPERLINKS

Ministry of Economic Development, and Trade, Office for Urban Economic Development

The Office for Urban Economic Development has its own Website, which provides many links to economic development resources across the province. Click here for link

Association of European Regions of Industrial Technology

RETI is an association of industrial regions in Europe. In 1984 these regions, having found themselves facing similar economic and social challenges, created a common forum to share experience, ideas and know-how; and to serve as a strong and coherent voice in the arena of European Community policy.

http://www.association-reti.org/

Electronic Commerce in Canada

This new site brings together information from the Canadian E-Business Opportunities Roundtable.

http://e-com.ic.gc.ca/eteam?he=y