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
Author-Name: Barclay, Lou Anne 
Title: Systems of Innovation and Human Capital in African Development
Abstract: In this paper, we propose that historically generated institutions and persistent
	 pattern of human capital formation conditions the emergent systems of innovation in
	 Africa. These effectively determine the development trajectory of the region. We
	 advance the notion of dynamic and non-dynamic systems of innovation, the latter
	 describing the African condition. In doing this, we combine the strand of
	 literature on institutions and their persistence in shaping industrialisation with
	 the literature on evolutionary theory and systems of innovation. We provide
	 evidence of the colonial origins of skewed schooling enrolment, at variance with
	 the industrialisation and wealth creation objective of modern economies. Employing
	 simple statistical tests, the persistence of initial human capital (school
	 enrolment) reflects in the significant correlation among the three levels of
	 schooling enrolments, and correlation of enrolment in 1970 with per capital income
	 in 2000, a periodicity of some three decades. This outcome is consistent with the
	 literature on countries at early stages of development. Path-dependency is
	 partially proved by the human capital variables even though we did not attempt to
	 investigate all variables making up the system of innovation. Our findings suggest
	 that Africa's present underdeveloped system of innovation in part has its roots in
	 both the past and present poor pattern of human capital formation. This is a first
	 tentative attempt to explore long-run development in Africa within the systems of
	 innovation framework
Keywords: innovation, technology policy, government policy, Africa, human capital,
	 path-dependency 
Series: Discussion Paper
Creation-Date: 2003
Number: 2
File-URL: http://www.intech.unu.edu/publications/discussion-papers/2003-2.pdf
File-Format: application/pdf
File-Size: 177 Kb
Handle: RePEc:unm:unuint:200302