kuhlmann et ordonez (2013) st&i policy rationals and relevance

7/27/2019 Kuhlmann Et Ordonez (2013) ST&I Policy Rationals and Relevance

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EUSPRIForumConferenceApril10122013

SPECIALTRACK

Theme:Science,TechnologyandInnovationPolicyinDevelopingCountries:Rationalesand

Relevance

Coordinatedby:StefanKuhlmannandGonzaloOrdonez,UniversityofTwente,Netherlands.

CallforExtendedAbstracts/Papers

InahistoricalUNconferenceheldin2000,theleadersof189countriesagreeduponasetof

eightmajorambitiousdevelopmentgoalstobeattainedby2015toreduceextremepoverty,

hunger,illiteracy

and

disease.

Recently,

the

WB

IMF

2011

Global

Monitoring

Report

concluded that the targetsset forhungerandprimaryeducationcompletionwillprobably

notbemetby2015,and that the targetsonmosthealthrelated issues suchaschildand

maternalmortalityandaccesstosanitationwillcertainlynotbemetbythen.Furthermore,

accordingtothereport,ifcurrenttrendcontinuesthenumberofpeoplelivingindeveloping

countries on less than $1.25will be over 800million by 2015. Thismeans that if labor

demand does not grow enough to meet the increasing supply in these countries, this

additionallaborforcewillhavetobeabsorbedatafallingrelativewage,thereforereducing

therateatwhichgrowthdecreasespoverty.

TheagreedrecipewastoencourageScience,TechnologyandInnovation(STI)progressgiven

itspotentialtocontributetoincreaseproductivity,createmarkets,protectjobs,reducetheconsequencesofextremepoverty,preventandtreatlocaldiseases,andcontainandreverse

the continuing loss of environmental resources among other problems currently facing

developingcountries.

However, thebestperforming countries (in termsofR&D investment),have substantially

improved their innovative capacity (as observed by the number of patents and scientific

publications),butextremepoverty,increasedinequalityandsocialexclusionpersist.

Thedominantperspectiveamong theSTIpolicycommunity in thesecountries is thatsuch

situationresults from the fact thatSTIpolicies implementedaresimply ineffectivegiven

structuralproblems:

basic

needs

such

as

good

health

services,

access

to

education,

good

livingandproductiveinfrastructure,lackofemployment,insecurity,etc.,keepsgovernments


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andcompaniesfrom investingmoreonSTIactivities.Fromthispointofview,governments

shouldkeeptryinghardasthingscouldbeworstifcurrentpolicyorientationchange.

Fromamoreradicalperspective,itcanbearguedthatthecausesaretobefoundelsewhere,

that is,thatSTIpoliciesare inspiredonthewrongmodels,aimatsolvingthewrongpolicy

problems,

are

too

narrowly

defined,

too

poorly

managed

and

implemented,

and/or

lack

the

necessarysupportiveconditionsfromsocietyduetohistorical,culturalandpoliticalreasons.

Fromthisperspective,moneyisnotthe(main)problem.

Based on an adaptation of the systemic perspective of the Innovation Policy Dance

metaphor proposed by Kuhlmann, Shapira, and Smits (2010), the proposed Special Track

attempts to contribute to a better a understanding of the ways STI theory, policy and

practice,interactinthecontextofdevelopingcountries.

Inparticular,theSpecialTrackaimsatdiscussingaboutthechallengesanddilemmasthese

countriescurrentlyface.ForthispurposewewelcomecontributionsquestioningSTIpolicy

rationalesandrelevance,whereatleastoneofthefollowingissuesisaddressed:

1. UnderliningassumptionssupportingSTIpoliciesinthesecountries2. STIPolicymakingprocesses3. STIPolicydilemmas4. STIGovernancechallengesintheframeworkofpovertyandglobalization5. Cultural, historical or political contexts explaining the STI process, policies and

governance

6. DeterminantsofSTIpolicychange,failureoreffectiveness7. Roleofindigenousknowledge8. Role of international aid/cooperation organizations, NGOs, multinational

corporations,universitiesormedia

9. Roleoflocalmanagement/leadershipcapabilities/entrepreneurship10.Roleofinstitutions,normsandvalues11.Roleofcorruption12.Ideology13.Other?

Thecontributionsareinvitedtoconsideroneormoreofthefollowingdimensions:

A. Theoretical failure: the theory inspiring the design and implementation ofpoliciesaimingatencouragingSTIinthesecountriesiswrongwithrespecttothe

role assumed of STI in development, the role assumed of governments and

markets, theperceivedmainSTIpolicychallenges,and thedemarcationcriteria

forgoodandbadperformance.

B. GovernmentFailure:Policyagendasaredefinedarbitrarilyandnarrowlywithoutsuitable planning, ignoring local capacities, needs and barriers, and following

rationales that undermine public goods. Policy implementation takes place by

scleroticinstitutionslackingleadership,workethicsandresources.

C. Social Capital Failure: STI activities (broadly defined to include creativity andcapacity

building)

are

performed

and

managed

in

the

framework

of


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marginalization,socialstigma, lackofentrepreneurshipandof long termvision,

generalizedlackoftrust,informality,andhighlevelsofuncertainty.

Timeline

ExtendedAbstracts

and

Full

Papers

presented

to

this

theme

should

follow

the

general

procedureanddatesestablishedintheCallforPapers.

FurtherinformationaboutthisSpecialTrack:[email protected]

FurtherinformationabouttheConference:www.eusprimadrid2013.org

kuhlmann et ordonez (2013) st&i policy rationals and relevance

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