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Technological Diffusion and Growth: Case of the Tunisian Manufacturing Sector

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  • Imen Daoud Naanaa

    (University of Tunis El Manar)

  • Fethi Sellaouti

    (University of Tunis El Manar)

Abstract

The paper aims to study the role of technological change in growth through the analysis of the technology spillovers and their transmission channels in five manufacturing industry in Tunisia for the period 1970–2012. Technology plays an important role as a source of growth. However, the understanding of mechanisms by which technology involved in determining business performance differs depending on the industry studied (depending on whether it is high or low technology), the level of human capital, and also the importance of trade and the foreign direct investment. In this perspective, the empirical study is to analyze the relationship between total factor productivity (TFP) (as an indicator of technological progress) and the determinants of technological diffusion. Empirical results suggest that openness to foreign companies and the Trade in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) had a significant role in the diffusion of technology but the presence of foreign firms has not been a vehicle for technology diffusion for the Tunisian manufacturing sector. This reveals that the diffusion of technology requires certain conditions such as the importance of research and development (R&D) and improving the absorption capacity.

Suggested Citation

  • Imen Daoud Naanaa & Fethi Sellaouti, 2017. "Technological Diffusion and Growth: Case of the Tunisian Manufacturing Sector," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 8(1), pages 369-383, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jknowl:v:8:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1007_s13132-015-0270-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s13132-015-0270-7
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    Cited by:

    1. Tsung-Chun Chen & Yenchun Jim Wu, 2020. "The Influence of R&D Intensity on Financial Performance: The Mediating Role of Human Capital in the Semiconductor Industry in Taiwan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-18, June.
    2. Mounir Dahmani & Mohamed Mabrouki & Adel Ben Youssef, 2022. "The Information and Communication Technologies-Economic Growth Nexus in Tunisia - A Cross-Section Dynamic Panel Approach," Montenegrin Journal of Economics, Economic Laboratory for Transition Research (ELIT), vol. 18(2), pages 161-174.
    3. Mounir Dahmani & Mohamed Mabrouki & Adel Ben Youssef, 2022. "ICT, trade openness and economic growth in Tunisia: what is going wrong?," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 55(4), pages 2317-2336, November.

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