Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, Banji
Author-Email: oyeyinka@intech.unu.edu
Author-Workplace-Name: United Nations University, Institute for New Technologies
Title: Systems of Innovation and Underdevelopment: An Institutional Perspective
Abstract: This paper examines institutions and their role in supporting technical change
	 as part of the development process, and asks how institutions shape the system
	 of innovation (SI). The context of underdevelopment exhibits distinct system characteristics
	 that differ markedly from those found under advanced economic conditions and as such
	 deserves close empirical scrutiny. SIs differ significantly under the two sets of conditions,
	 leading to uneven structural changes. The paper therefore explores what functions must
	 be served by systems in developing countries in order to generate technical dynamism.
	 To compare different contexts, it introduces the idea of a System of Learning Innovation
	 in Development (SLID) that emphasizes individual and organizational competence building.
	 The differences between “Advanced” Systems of Innovation (ASI) and two types of SLID are discussed.
	 Infrastructure, one of the key components of institutions involved in development, is used as
	 an illustration. The study found that dynamic SIs function best in a regime of high-quality
	 infrastructure (telephone, Internet, computers and reliable electricity supplies).
	 The case of sub-Saharan Africa serves to illustrate the point.
Keywords: Innovation, Innovation Policy, Capacity Building, Learning, Economic Development, Infrastructure, Sub-Saharan Africa
Series: Discussion Paper
Creation-Date: 2005
Number: 01
File-URL: http://www.intech.unu.edu/publications/discussion-papers/2005-1.pdf
File-Format: application/pdf
File-Size: 307 Kb
Handle: RePEc:unm:unuint:200501