IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/tefoso/v129y2018icp56-75.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Technology upgrading of middle income economies: A new approach and results

Author

Listed:
  • Radosevic, Slavo
  • Yoruk, Esin

Abstract

We explore issues of measurement for technology upgrading of the economies moving from middle to high-income status. In exploring this issue, we apply theoretically relevant and empirically grounded middle level conceptual and statistical framework based on three dimensions: (i) Intensity (ii) breadth of technological upgrading, and (iii) technology and knowledge exchange. As an outcome, we construct a three-pronged composite indicator of technology upgrading based on 35 indicators which reflect different drivers and patterns of technology upgrading of countries at different income levels. We show that technology upgrading of middle-income economies is distinctively different from that of low and high-income economies. Our results suggest the existence of middle-income trap in technology upgrading – i.e. countries' technology upgrading activities are not reflected in their income levels. Based on the simple statistical analysis we show that the middle-income trap is present in all three aspects of technology upgrading, but their importance varies across different aspects. A trap seems to be higher for ‘breadth’ of technology upgrading than for ‘intensity’ of technology upgrading and is by far the highest for the dimension of knowledge and technology interaction with the global economy. Finally, our research shows that technology upgrading is a multidimensional process and that it would be methodologically wrong to aim for an aggregate index.

Suggested Citation

  • Radosevic, Slavo & Yoruk, Esin, 2018. "Technology upgrading of middle income economies: A new approach and results," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 56-75.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:129:y:2018:i:c:p:56-75
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2017.12.002
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162516308368
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.techfore.2017.12.002?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mendonca, Sandro & Pereira, Tiago Santos & Godinho, Manuel Mira, 2004. "Trademarks as an indicator of innovation and industrial change," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(9), pages 1385-1404, November.
    2. Bruno, Randolph Luca & Campos, Nauro F., 2013. "Reexamining the Conditional Effect of Foreign Direct Investment," IZA Discussion Papers 7458, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Fagerberg, Jan, 1987. "A technology gap approach to why growth rates differ," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 16(2-4), pages 87-99, August.
    4. Archibugi, Daniele & Coco, Alberto, 2005. "Measuring technological capabilities at the country level: A survey and a menu for choice," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 175-194, March.
    5. Grupp, Hariolf & Mogee, Mary Ellen, 2004. "Indicators for national science and technology policy: how robust are composite indicators?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(9), pages 1373-1384, November.
    6. Archibugi, Daniele & Coco, Alberto, 2004. "A New Indicator of Technological Capabilities for Developed and Developing Countries (ArCo)," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 32(4), pages 629-654, April.
    7. Thomas J. Holmes & Ellen R. McGrattan & Edward C. Prescott, 2015. "Quid Pro Quo: Technology Capital Transfers for Market Access in China," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 82(3), pages 1154-1193.
    8. Meghnad Desai & Sakiko Fukuda-Parr & Claes Johansson & Fransisco Sagasti, 2002. "Measuring the Technology Achievement of Nations and the Capacity to Participate in the Network Age," Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 3(1), pages 95-122.
    9. Terlaak, Ann & King, Andrew A., 2006. "The effect of certification with the ISO 9000 Quality Management Standard: A signaling approach," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 60(4), pages 579-602, August.
    10. Hu, Albert Guangzhou & Jefferson, Gary H., 2009. "A great wall of patents: What is behind China's recent patent explosion?," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(1), pages 57-68, September.
    11. Romer, Paul M, 1990. "Endogenous Technological Change," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 98(5), pages 71-102, October.
    12. Fulvio Castellacci, 2011. "Closing the Technology Gap?," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(1), pages 180-197, February.
    13. Bruno Crepon & Emmanuel Duguet & Jacques Mairesse, 1998. "Research, Innovation And Productivity: An Econometric Analysis At The Firm Level," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 7(2), pages 115-158.
    14. Fagerberg, Jan & Verspagen, Bart, 2002. "Technology-gaps, innovation-diffusion and transformation: an evolutionary interpretation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(8-9), pages 1291-1304, December.
    15. Slavo Radosevic & Esin Yoruk, 2016. "A New Metrics Of Technology Upgrading: The Central And East European Countries In A Comparative Perspective," UCL SSEES Economics and Business working paper series 2016-2, UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES).
    16. Tarun Khanna & Yishay Yafeh, 2007. "Business Groups in Emerging Markets: Paragons or Parasites?," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 45(2), pages 331-372, June.
    17. Ward Romp & Jakob De Haan, 2007. "Public Capital and Economic Growth: A Critical Survey," Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik, Verein für Socialpolitik, vol. 8(S1), pages 6-52, April.
    18. Cohen, Wesley M & Levinthal, Daniel A, 1989. "Innovation and Learning: The Two Faces of R&D," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 99(397), pages 569-596, September.
    19. Chen, Derek H. C. & Dahlman, Carl J., 2004. "Knowledge and development : a cross-section approach," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3366, The World Bank.
    20. Stevenson, Thomas H. & Barnes, Frank C., 2001. "Fourteen years of ISO 9000: impact, criticisms, costs, and benefits," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 44(3), pages 45-51.
    21. Nicolas van Zeebroeck, 2011. "The puzzle of patent value indicators," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(1), pages 33-62.
    22. Giuseppe Munda & Michela Nardo, 2009. "Noncompensatory/nonlinear composite indicators for ranking countries: a defensible setting," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(12), pages 1513-1523.
    23. Amsden, Alice H. & Tschang, F. Ted, 2003. "A new approach to assessing the technological complexity of different categories of R&D (with examples from Singapore)," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(4), pages 553-572, April.
    24. Esin Yoruk, 2011. "The influence of technological capabilities on the knowledge network component of innovation systems: evidence from advanced materials in Turkey," International Journal of Technological Learning, Innovation and Development, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 4(4), pages 330-362.
    25. Richard Kneller & Philip Andrew Stevens, 2006. "Frontier Technology and Absorptive Capacity: Evidence from OECD Manufacturing Industries," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 68(1), pages 1-21, February.
    26. Michael Freudenberg, 2003. "Composite Indicators of Country Performance: A Critical Assessment," OECD Science, Technology and Industry Working Papers 2003/16, OECD Publishing.
    27. Lee, Keun & Kim, Byung-Yeon & Park, Young-Yoon & Sanidas, Elias, 2013. "Big businesses and economic growth: Identifying a binding constraint for growth with country panel analysis," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(2), pages 561-582.
    28. Valentine Millot, 2009. "Trademarks as an Indicator of Product and Marketing Innovations," OECD Science, Technology and Industry Working Papers 2009/6, OECD Publishing.
    29. Slavo Radosevic, 1999. "International Technology Transfer and Catch-Up in Economic Development," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 1386, December.
    30. Andreas Reinstaller & Fabian Unterlass, 2011. "Sectoral Innovation Modes and Level of Economic Development: Implications for Innovation Policy in the New Member States," Chapters, in: Slavo Radosevic & Anna Kaderabkova (ed.), Challenges for European Innovation Policy, chapter 4, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    31. Choung, Jae-Yong & Hwang, Hye-Ran & Song, Wichin, 2014. "Transitions of Innovation Activities in Latecomer Countries: An Exploratory Case Study of South Korea," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 156-167.
    32. Lucas, Robert Jr., 1988. "On the mechanics of economic development," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 3-42, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Slavo Radosevic & Esin Yoruk, 2016. "A New Metrics Of Technology Upgrading: The Central And East European Countries In A Comparative Perspective," UCL SSEES Economics and Business working paper series 2016-2, UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES).
    2. Fagerberg, Jan & Srholec, Martin & Verspagen, Bart, 2010. "Innovation and Economic Development," Handbook of the Economics of Innovation, in: Bronwyn H. Hall & Nathan Rosenberg (ed.), Handbook of the Economics of Innovation, edition 1, volume 2, chapter 0, pages 833-872, Elsevier.
    3. Dominguez Lacasa, Iciar & Jindra, Björn & Radosevic, Slavo & Shubbak, Mahmood, 2019. "Paths of technology upgrading in the BRICS economies," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 262-280.
    4. Jung-In Yeon & Jeong-Dong Lee & Chulwoo Baek, 2021. "A tale of two technological capabilities: economic growth revisited from a technological capability transition perspective," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 46(3), pages 574-605, June.
    5. Keun Lee & Jongho Lee, 2020. "National innovation systems, economic complexity, and economic growth: country panel analysis using the US patent data," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 30(4), pages 897-928, September.
    6. Alessandro STERLACCHINI, 2006. "Innovation, Knowledge and Regional Economic Performances: Regularities and Differences in the EU," Working Papers 260, Universita' Politecnica delle Marche (I), Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche e Sociali.
    7. Fagerberg, Jan & Srholec, Martin & Knell, Mark, 2007. "The Competitiveness of Nations: Why Some Countries Prosper While Others Fall Behind," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 35(10), pages 1595-1620, October.
    8. Hugo Erken & Piet Donselaar & Roy Thurik, 2018. "Total factor productivity and the role of entrepreneurship," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 43(6), pages 1493-1521, December.
    9. Castellacci, Fulvio & Archibugi, Daniele, 2008. "The technology clubs: The distribution of knowledge across nations," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(10), pages 1659-1673, December.
    10. Grupp, Hariolf & Schubert, Torben, 2010. "Review and new evidence on composite innovation indicators for evaluating national performance," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 67-78, February.
    11. Lee, Keun & Lee, Jongho & Lee, Juneyoung, 2021. "Variety of national innovation systems (NIS) and alternative pathways to growth beyond the middle-income stage: Balanced, imbalanced, catching-up, and trapped NIS," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    12. Kris IYER, 2011. "Technology Gap, Catching-up and Outward Orientation: Analysis of 63 countries," Applied Econometrics and International Development, Euro-American Association of Economic Development, vol. 11(2).
    13. Castellacci, Fulvio & Natera, Jose Miguel, 2013. "The dynamics of national innovation systems: A panel cointegration analysis of the coevolution between innovative capability and absorptive capacity," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 579-594.
    14. Jan Fagerberg & Martin Srholec, 2005. "Catching up: What are the Critical Factors for success?," Working Papers on Innovation Studies 20050401, Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture, University of Oslo.
    15. Antonio Rodríguez Andrés & Abraham Otero & Voxi Heinrich Amavilah, 2022. "Knowledge economy classification in African countries: A model-based clustering approach," Information Technology for Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(2), pages 372-396, April.
    16. Cristiano Antonelli & Federico Barbiellini Amidei, 2011. "The Dynamics of Knowledge Externalities," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 13292, December.
    17. Fulvio Castellacci & Jose Miguel Natera, 2015. "The Convergence Paradox: The Global Evolution of National Innovation Systems," Working Papers on Innovation Studies 20150821, Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture, University of Oslo.
    18. Amavilah, Voxi Heinrich, 2006. "Intensity of technology use and per capita real GDP across some African countries," MPRA Paper 1675, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    19. Monika Kondratiuk-Nierodziñska, 2016. "New Knowledge Generation Capabilities And Economic Performance Of Polish Regions," Equilibrium. Quarterly Journal of Economics and Economic Policy, Institute of Economic Research, vol. 11(3), pages 451-471, September.
    20. Verspagen, Bart, 2000. "Economic Growth and Technological Change," Research Memorandum 017, Maastricht University, Maastricht Economic Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:129:y:2018:i:c:p:56-75. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00401625 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.