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Publications by Jerome P . F . Smith-Uldall
Revista Venezolana de Gerencia, 2024
The national R&D system is a concept that has gained significant recognition; however, measuring ... more The national R&D system is a concept that has gained significant recognition; however, measuring it is challenging and not devoid of difficulties. In this paper the method of composite variables is applied to configure R&D systems and with this examines their characteristics and subsequent impact on fostering greater innovation by studying a group of OECD countries. Starting with many variables, 31 variables were selected for the second step and used in a factor analysis to create composite indicators or unobservable abstract variables. Each variable’s assignment to a single factor is clear, allowing the identification of five distinct and interpretable factors. Subsequently, a knowledge production function was estimated, considering the technological outcome of the R&D systems as the dependent variable; another function was configured reflecting scientific output. Finally, an additional model was estimated, using productivity as the dependent variable. In all models, the National R&D Effort and Innovative Firms Factor emerged as the most significant variable, underscoring the importance of reaching certain thresholds in terms of available human and physical resources for carrying out innovative efforts within an R&D system.
Keywords: innovation; research policy; R&D intensity; organizations; OECD.
360 Revista de Ciencias de la Gestión, 2024
Research and development (R&D) is crucial for promoting knowledge generation as well as the acqui... more Research and development (R&D) is crucial for promoting knowledge generation as well as the acquisition of new knowledge, so as to enable the development of new products, processes, or services, and improve the existing ones. In this vein, countries make decisions to increase and sustain their innovation efforts and focus on public R&D expenditures. This paper seeks to analyse the pathways of national R&D systems of OECD countries. For this purpose, we conducted a descriptive and exploratory analysis for the period of 2000-2021. We used innovative effort variables, such as R&D intensity, as well as patents as an output variable. The sample consisted of 37 OECD countries, divided into five quintiles according to productivity performance during the study period. The results highlight cases of R&D systems that made a significant leap in productivity during the study period; however, the results also identify cases where a higher R&D intensity does not translate into substantial improvements in productivity. This confirms that innovation is a complex phenomenon where there is not always a guarantee of a positive linear relationship between innovative effort and scientific/technological performance.
Keywords: R&D Systems, Innovation, Scientific Productivity, R&D Intensity, OECD
Papers by Jerome P . F . Smith-Uldall
Multidisciplinary Business Review
2021School dropout is a serious problem worldwide, and contributes to a great deal of poverty and... more 2021School dropout is a serious problem worldwide, and contributes to a great deal of poverty and misery. People who have not finished school obviously suffer the consequences, but these extend to all of society since they become a burden due to lack of education and skills for the workplace. Much like poverty, school dropout is complex and multidimensional. Hence, early warning systems that predict which children are at risk of dropping out of school are of the utmost importance, and furthermore, the interventions to rescue these children must be bespoke, i.e., tailored to the specific situation of each child. Much work has been done using traditional methods such as attendance thresholds and logistic regression. However, school dropout prediction by means of applying machine learning is relatively new. In addition, an application that has worked in one country does not necessarily work in another, since the available data sets are different. Therefore, the following question arise...
Journal of technology management & innovation, 2021
This paper proposes a configuration and characterisation of the economic sectors in Chile applyin... more This paper proposes a configuration and characterisation of the economic sectors in Chile applying Malerba's sectoral innovation systems approach. Its objective is to examine the existence of sectoral systems of innovation in Chile and their characteristics. Using data from the Chilean Tenth Innovation Survey of Firms, a three-step statistical analysis was performed. In the first step, 15 variables were chosen and converted by factor analysis into four components reflecting the configuration of the sectoral system. In the second step, a cluster analysis was carried out to determine the characterisation of the sectors. In the final step, a simple econometric model was developed to estimate a proxy for the propensity to patent of the economic sectors. It is possible to discover the existence of three groups of sectoral innovation systems. One is characterised by a low propensity to patent. Another one uses market information and some effort in R&D to innovate. A third one is characterised by a strong use of market sources, high effort in R&D, strong networking and collaboration, and a close interaction with the industrial property system. This paper shows the usefulness of composite variables in identifying those sectors with higher propensity to patent. In particular, the factor networks and collaboration is the most important. This last is important to highlight in terms of policies in science and technology that aim to establish formal mechanisms to share common knowledge strengthening the relationships among the different players of the innovation process.
Revista Venezolana de Gerencia, 2024
The national R&D system is a concept that has gained significant recognition; however, measuring ... more The national R&D system is a concept that has gained significant recognition; however, measuring it is challenging and not devoid of difficulties. In this paper the method of composite variables is applied to configure R&D systems and with this examines their characteristics and subsequent impact on fostering greater innovation by studying a group of OECD countries. Starting with many variables, 31 variables were selected for the second step and used in a factor analysis to create composite indicators or unobservable abstract variables. Each variable’s assignment to a single factor is clear, allowing the identification of five distinct and interpretable factors. Subsequently, a knowledge production function was estimated, considering the technological outcome of the R&D systems as the dependent variable; another function was configured reflecting scientific output. Finally, an additional model was estimated, using productivity as the dependent variable. In all models, the National R&D Effort and Innovative Firms Factor emerged as the most significant variable, underscoring the importance of reaching certain thresholds in terms of available human and physical resources for carrying out innovative efforts within an R&D system.
Keywords: innovation; research policy; R&D intensity; organizations; OECD.
360 Revista de Ciencias de la Gestión, 2024
Research and development (R&D) is crucial for promoting knowledge generation as well as the acqui... more Research and development (R&D) is crucial for promoting knowledge generation as well as the acquisition of new knowledge, so as to enable the development of new products, processes, or services, and improve the existing ones. In this vein, countries make decisions to increase and sustain their innovation efforts and focus on public R&D expenditures. This paper seeks to analyse the pathways of national R&D systems of OECD countries. For this purpose, we conducted a descriptive and exploratory analysis for the period of 2000-2021. We used innovative effort variables, such as R&D intensity, as well as patents as an output variable. The sample consisted of 37 OECD countries, divided into five quintiles according to productivity performance during the study period. The results highlight cases of R&D systems that made a significant leap in productivity during the study period; however, the results also identify cases where a higher R&D intensity does not translate into substantial improvements in productivity. This confirms that innovation is a complex phenomenon where there is not always a guarantee of a positive linear relationship between innovative effort and scientific/technological performance.
Keywords: R&D Systems, Innovation, Scientific Productivity, R&D Intensity, OECD
Multidisciplinary Business Review
2021School dropout is a serious problem worldwide, and contributes to a great deal of poverty and... more 2021School dropout is a serious problem worldwide, and contributes to a great deal of poverty and misery. People who have not finished school obviously suffer the consequences, but these extend to all of society since they become a burden due to lack of education and skills for the workplace. Much like poverty, school dropout is complex and multidimensional. Hence, early warning systems that predict which children are at risk of dropping out of school are of the utmost importance, and furthermore, the interventions to rescue these children must be bespoke, i.e., tailored to the specific situation of each child. Much work has been done using traditional methods such as attendance thresholds and logistic regression. However, school dropout prediction by means of applying machine learning is relatively new. In addition, an application that has worked in one country does not necessarily work in another, since the available data sets are different. Therefore, the following question arise...
Journal of technology management & innovation, 2021
This paper proposes a configuration and characterisation of the economic sectors in Chile applyin... more This paper proposes a configuration and characterisation of the economic sectors in Chile applying Malerba's sectoral innovation systems approach. Its objective is to examine the existence of sectoral systems of innovation in Chile and their characteristics. Using data from the Chilean Tenth Innovation Survey of Firms, a three-step statistical analysis was performed. In the first step, 15 variables were chosen and converted by factor analysis into four components reflecting the configuration of the sectoral system. In the second step, a cluster analysis was carried out to determine the characterisation of the sectors. In the final step, a simple econometric model was developed to estimate a proxy for the propensity to patent of the economic sectors. It is possible to discover the existence of three groups of sectoral innovation systems. One is characterised by a low propensity to patent. Another one uses market information and some effort in R&D to innovate. A third one is characterised by a strong use of market sources, high effort in R&D, strong networking and collaboration, and a close interaction with the industrial property system. This paper shows the usefulness of composite variables in identifying those sectors with higher propensity to patent. In particular, the factor networks and collaboration is the most important. This last is important to highlight in terms of policies in science and technology that aim to establish formal mechanisms to share common knowledge strengthening the relationships among the different players of the innovation process.