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From Imitation to Innovation: Public Policy for Industrial Transformation

Author

Listed:
  • Agenor, Pierre-Richard

    (University of Manchester, Centre for Growth and Business Cycle Research, FERDI)

  • Dinh, Hinh

    (World Bank)

Abstract

What role does public policy play in helping countries accelerate the industrialization process? This note aims to answer this question by applying a framework to analyze the process of transitioning from imitation to innovation. Based on a dynamic model of growth, simulations suggest that learning through imitation may enable firms to improve productivity significantly in a first stage, and that this may eventually benefit innovation activity as well. The model also shows how failure to switch from imitation as the main source of productivity growth to broad-based, homegrown innovation could lead to the “middle-income trap” that has befallen some countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Agenor, Pierre-Richard & Dinh, Hinh, 2013. "From Imitation to Innovation: Public Policy for Industrial Transformation," World Bank - Economic Premise, The World Bank, issue 115, pages 1-8, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:prmecp:ep115
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Sun, Yajie & Liao, Wen-Chi, 2021. "Resource-Exhausted City Transition to continue industrial development," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    2. Glawe, Linda & Wagner, Helmut, 2020. "China in the middle-income trap?," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    3. Pierre‐Richard Agénor & Barış Alpaslan, 2018. "Infrastructure And Industrial Development With Endogenous Skill Acquisition," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 70(4), pages 313-334, October.
    4. Ching T. Liao, 2022. "Skill improvement by product imitation," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 58(3), pages 1563-1577, March.
    5. Agénor, Pierre-Richard & Dinh, Hinh T., 2015. "Social capital, product imitation and growth with learning externalities," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 41-54.
    6. Agenor, Pierre-Richard & Dinh, Hinh, 2013. "From Imitation to Innovation: Public Policy for Industrial Transformation," World Bank - Economic Premise, The World Bank, issue 115, pages 1-8, May.
    7. Hinh T. Dinh, 2017. "Jobs, Industrialization, and Globalization," Books & Reports, Policy Center for the New South, number 22, October.
    8. Pierre-Richard Agénor & Karim El Aynaoui, 2014. "Politiques Publiques, Transformation Industrielle, Croissance et Emploi au Maroc : Une Analyse Quantitative [Public Policy, Industrial Transformation, Growth and Employment in Morocco: A Quantitative ," Research papers & Policy papers 1403, Policy Center for the New South.
    9. Riana Razafimandimby Andrianjaka & Eric Rougier, 2017. "What difference does it make? Revue de littérature et analyse empirique des déterminants de la Trappe à Revenu Intermédiaire," Cahiers du GREThA (2007-2019) 2017-16, Groupe de Recherche en Economie Théorique et Appliquée (GREThA).

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • O0 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - General
    • O2 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Development Planning and Policy
    • O4 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity

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