Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

A firm's absorptive capacity, human capital and linkages with knowledge institutions have been shown to increase the firm's probability of innovating in OECD economies. Despite its importance for national- and firm-level competitiveness, few papers examine the impact of the same variables for firms innovation in Latin America. This paper investigates the link between firm innovation and its absorption capacity as proxied by the presence of a R&D department, the firm's human capital, and its interaction with research centers and universities. We analyze the case of Chilean and Colombian manufacturing firms using data from innovation surveys. A probit regression model is applied to identify the determinants of innovation activity. We find that collaboration with university and research institutions is associated with an increase in the probability of introducing a new product in Chilean and Colombian firms of 29 and 44 percent, respectively, and it can increase up to 58 percent in the case of Colombian firms interacting with research centers. Moreover, firms whose employees have a higher level of education, or whose managers/supervisors have a higher (perceived) level of knowledge, are more likely to innovate. Although the estimates could be affected by biases and suffer from shortcomings in data, the findings suggest that policies and incentives to increase firm-level human capital and industry-university linkages are important to increase innovation in Latin America.

Agricultural Knowledge and Information Systems --- E-Business --- Firm Innovation --- Human Capital --- Innovation --- Innovation Activity --- Knowledge Institutions --- Labor Policies --- Macroeconomics and Economic Growth --- Probit Regression Model --- Social Development

Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

A firm's absorptive capacity, human capital and linkages with knowledge institutions have been shown to increase the firm's probability of innovating in OECD economies. Despite its importance for national- and firm-level competitiveness, few papers examine the impact of the same variables for firms innovation in Latin America. This paper investigates the link between firm innovation and its absorption capacity as proxied by the presence of a R&D department, the firm's human capital, and its interaction with research centers and universities. We analyze the case of Chilean and Colombian manufacturing firms using data from innovation surveys. A probit regression model is applied to identify the determinants of innovation activity. We find that collaboration with university and research institutions is associated with an increase in the probability of introducing a new product in Chilean and Colombian firms of 29 and 44 percent, respectively, and it can increase up to 58 percent in the case of Colombian firms interacting with research centers. Moreover, firms whose employees have a higher level of education, or whose managers/supervisors have a higher (perceived) level of knowledge, are more likely to innovate. Although the estimates could be affected by biases and suffer from shortcomings in data, the findings suggest that policies and incentives to increase firm-level human capital and industry-university linkages are important to increase innovation in Latin America.

Agricultural Knowledge and Information Systems --- E-Business --- Firm Innovation --- Human Capital --- Innovation --- Innovation Activity --- Knowledge Institutions --- Labor Policies --- Macroeconomics and Economic Growth --- Probit Regression Model --- Social Development

Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

This paper measures the extent to which firms in developing countries are the target of bribes. Using new firm-level survey data from 33 African and Latin American countries, we first show that perceptions adjust slowly to firms' experience with corrupt officials and hence are an imperfect proxy for the true incidence of graft. We then construct an experience-based index that reflects the probability that a firm will be asked for a bribe in order to complete a specified set of business transactions. On average, African firms are three times as likely to be asked for bribes as are firms in Latin America, although there is substantial variation within each region. Last, we show that graft appears to be more prevalent in countries with excessive regulation and where democracy is weak. In particular, our results suggest that the incidence of graft in Africa would fall by approximately 85 percent if countries in the region had levels of democracy and regulation similar to those that exist in Latin America.

Bribe --- Bribes --- Business Transactions --- Corrupt --- Corrupt Officials --- Corrupt Practices --- Corruption --- Corruption and Anticorruption Law --- Crime and Society --- Democracy --- E-Business --- Graft --- Multinational --- Private Sector Development --- Public Sector Corruption and Anticorruption Measures --- Social Development

Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

The role and relevance of Social Funds/Community-Driven Development (SF/CDD) have been highly debated in the international development community. This debate is particularly relevant in the Europe andCentral Asia (ECA) region. Since the first social fund was created in 1993 in Albania, governments and donors have actively supported Social Funds in the Region as instrumentsto deal with a range of issues, from inadequate access to services, to local infrastructure provision, to social exclusion. The circumstances under which most Social Funds were created have changed significantly. The main objective of this report is to provide guidance toECA management and client governments on two questions: (i) Is the social fund instrument still relevant in the ECA region? Under what conditions? (ii) What are the future implications in terms ofcontinuation, transformation, and exit options under different country scenarios? The study gathered information from a universe of 16 SFs. Main data sources included bank documents; literature review; a questionnaire of social funds; short field trips to several countries (Georgia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine); and interviews with Task Team Leaders (TTLs).

Access of Poor to Social Services --- Community Development and Empowerment --- Community Driven Development --- Governance --- Local Government --- Poverty Reduction --- Social Accountability --- Social Development --- Social Funds --- Social Inclusion --- Social Inclusion & Institutions

Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

Why do larger countries have more armed conflict? This paper surveys three sets of hypotheses forwarded in the conflict literature regarding the relationship between the size and location of population groups: Hypotheses based on pure population mass, on distances, on population concentrations, and some residual state-level characteristics. The hypotheses are tested on a new dataset-ACLED (Armed Conflict Location and Events Dataset)-which disaggregates internal conflicts into individual events. The analysis covers 14 countries in Central Africa. The conflict event data are juxtaposed with geographically disaggregated data on populations, distance to capitals, borders, and road networks. The paper develops a statistical method to analyze this type of data. The analysis confirms several of the hypotheses.

Armed Conflict --- Civil War --- Conflict and Development --- Health, Nutrition and Population --- Internal conflicts --- National level --- Policy Research --- Policy Research Working Paper --- Population groups --- Population Policies --- Population Size --- Post Conflict Reconstruction --- Progress --- Small countries --- Social Conflict and Violence --- Social Development