Consultas CEDEA


Innovación, Productividad, Competitividad


[Artículos ] Factores Asociados con el Abandono de Actividades de Innovación en un País en Desarrollo: La Influencia del Nivel de Cooperación Tecnológica Regional

FERNÁNDEZ-SASTRE Juan y Victoria SANTAMARÍA - Journal of Technology Management and Innovation 15(1):76-87 DOI:10.4067/S0718-27242020000100076

Utilizando datos de la Encuesta Ecuatoriana de Innovación del 2015, se examinan los factores asociados con el abandono de actividades de innovación de las empresas de un país en desarrollo. Adicionalmente, se analiza si la influencia de dichos factores difiere en función del nivel de cooperación tecnológica existente en las regiones en las que operan las empresas. Los resultados indican que la probabilidad de abandono es mayor en las empresas que invierten en actividades de innovación de mayor complejidad, en las que cooperan simultáneamente con otras empresas e instituciones de investigación y en las que tienen una mayor intensidad exportadora. Además, se observa que las empresas medianas son las que muestran una menor probabilidad de abandono. Finalmente, los resultados indican que la influencia de estos factores difiere considerablemente en función del nivel de cooperación tecnológica regional.

Línea de investigación: Innovación, Productividad, Competitividad


[Artículos ] Empleo e inversión en actividades de innovación sin introducción de nuevas tecnologías: un estudio sobre Ecuador

DEL POZO Diego y Juan FERNÁNDEZ-SASTRE - Estudios de Economia 48(2):219-248 DOI:10.4067/S0718-52862021000200219

Mediante el método de ponderación por probabilidad inversa y utilizando datos de la Encuesta Ecuatoriana de Innovación y del Instituto de Seguridad Social, este artículo estima el efecto de la introducción de tecnologías y de la inversión en actividades de innovación sin introducción de tecnologías en el empleo. Los resultados indican que solo la introducción de nuevas tecnologías incrementa el empleo en el corto plazo; aunque la inversión en I+D, sin introducción de tecnologías, aumenta la contratación de científicos. Finalmente, los resultados señalan que las empresas que introducen tecnologías incrementan la contratación de directivos, científicos y técnicos.

Línea de investigación: Innovación, Productividad, Competitividad


[Artículos ] Regional characteristics and the decision to innovate in a developing country: A multilevel analysis of Ecuadorian firms

BRUNA QUINTAS Fernando y Juan FERNÁNDEZ-SASTRE - Papers in Regional Science 100(6):1337-1354 DOI:10.1111/pirs.12632

This is the first study that uses multilevel modelling to analyze regional influence on the decision to invest in innovation activities of firms in a single developing country, Ecuador. Our results indicate that the decisions to invest in R&D and in other innovation activities are conditioned by the region in which the firm is located. Regional volume of loans, orientation to knowledge exploitation and intra‐regional‐sectorial R&D spillovers are positively associated with both types of innovation activities, while regional levels of cooperation and inter‐regional R&D spillovers are only positively associated with the probability of investing in other innovation activities.

Línea de investigación: Innovación, Productividad, Competitividad


[Artículos ] El efecto de los paquetes tecnológicos en la productividad del maíz en Ecuador

SÁNCHEZ ARIZOA Víctor Hugo y Juan FERNÁNDEZ SASTRE - Problemas del Desarrollo. Revista Latinoamericana de Economía, vol. 51, núm. 203, octubre-diciembre 2020.

El presente artículo analiza el efecto de la adopción del maíz híbrido en la productividad por hectárea, utilizando datos de 1 622 productores de Ecuador. En particular, se estudia si existen diferencias entre los productores que lo adoptaron por cuenta propia, frente a los que lo hicieron a través de un paquete tecnológico -parcialmente subvencionado por el Estado-, que además de la semilla híbrida incluía tecnologías complementarias, capacitaciones y asistencias técnicas. Los resultados indican que la adopción de semilla híbrida influyó positivamente en la productividad por hectárea, independiente de que ésta fuese adoptada por cuenta propia o a través del paquete tecnológico; aunque el efecto fue mayor sin duda para los productores que adoptaron el paquete tecnológico.

Línea de investigación: Innovación, Productividad, Competitividad


[Artículos ] The influence of the regional context on firms’ innovation patterns: evidence from Ecuador

FERNÁNDEZ-SASTRE, Juan y REYES-VINTIMILLA, Pablo - Problems and Perspectives in Management 18:4, pages 264-274. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537325.2019.1671586

Using data from the Ecuadorean Innovation Survey of 2015, this paper identifies the innovation patterns that can be found in Ecuador. In addition, we analyse the influence of the regional innovation systems in determining these patterns. The results show that there are six differentiated patterns of innovation, although they all are related to the adoption and imitation of technologies. Finally, we observe that different regional characteristics condition the way in which firms organise innovation.

Línea de investigación: Innovación, Productividad, Competitividad


[Artículos ] The effects of developing-countries’ innovation support programs: evidence from Ecuador

FERNÁNDEZ SASTRE Juan y MARTÍN MAYORAL Fernando - Innovation Organization & Management Volume 17, 2015 - Issue 4. Taylor y Francis https://doi.org/10.1080/14479338.2016.1157447

This paper evaluates the impact of Ecuadorian innovation support programs, which are intended to enhance firms’ technological and managerial capabilities, on firms’ innovative behavior and performance. In order to estimate the causal effects, we employ different Propensity Score Matching procedures. Results indicate that participating in a program increases firms’ internal R&D and innovation effort, the qualification of the workforce, the likelihood of introducing product, process and organizational innovations and the probability of establishing linkages with research partners. However, participants do not show greater external R&D intensity or a higher propensity to patent, nor are they more likely to cooperate with suppliers, customer or competitors.

Línea de investigación: Innovación, Productividad, Competitividad


[Artículos ] Learning-by-importing in emerging innovation systems: evidence from Ecuador

Fernández J., Gavilanes J. - The Journal of International Trade & Economic Development (45-64). Volume 26, 2017 - Issue 1.

Using data from the population of Ecuadorian importers, we examine the extent to which the characteristics of their imports relate to their labor productivity. Results indicate that the technological intensity of imports does not explain differences in labor productivity, although the region of origin of imports explains differences in the manufacturing sector, as imported technologies from advanced regions are associated with superior labor productivity. Nevertheless, as technology intensive imports are not associated with superior performance, we argue that importers from developing countries may use foreign technology inexpertly due to the lack of absorptive capacity and the emerging nature of their national innovation system.

Línea de investigación: Innovación, Productividad, Competitividad


[Artículos ] The effect of national and international R&D cooperation: Differences between manufactures and services.

Fernández J. - International Journal of Services Technology and Management (146-162). Vol.21 No.1/2/3.

Using data from the Spanish survey of technological innovation, this paper analyses differences between service and manufacturing firms regarding the impact of national and international R&D cooperation on firms' innovative performance. Results indicate that industrial innovative activity mostly benefits from collaboration at the national level, while international cooperation is crucial for services. Results also show that services are able to combine both national and international partners in an advantageous way, while manufacturing firms that are simultaneously involved in national and international partnerships do not have a greater innovative performance than those that are not involved in R&D collaboration at all.

Línea de investigación: Innovación, Productividad, Competitividad


[Artículos ] The effects of developing-countries’ innovation support programs: evidence from Ecuador.

Fernández-Sastre, Juan; & Martín-Mayoral, Fernando - Innovation, 17:4, 466-484, DOI: 10.1080/14479338.2016.1157447

This paper evaluates the impact of Ecuadorian innovation support programs, which are intended to enhance firms’ technological and managerial capabilities, on firms’ innovative behavior and performance. In order to estimate the causal effects, we employ different Propensity Score Matching procedures. Results indicate that participating in a program increases firms’ internal R&D and innovation effort, the qualification of the workforce, the likelihood of introducing product, process and organizational innovations and the probability of establishing linkages with research partners. However, participants do not show greater external R&D intensity or a higher propensity to patent, nor are they more likely to cooperate with suppliers, customer or competitors.

Línea de investigación: Innovación, Productividad, Competitividad


[Artículos ] Assessing the impact of public support for innovation in an emerging innovation system

Fernández-Sastre, Juan, and Fernando Martín-Mayoral - International Journal of Technological Learning, Innovation and Development 9.1 (2017): 42-64.

In developing countries, most public programs supporting innovation are intended to enlarge firms' technological capabilities. Although these programs may induce firms to change their innovative behaviour, their effects have not been evaluated yet. This paper examines the impact of various innovation support programs upon firms' innovation inputs in the context of an emerging innovation system. Following Leuven and Oosterbeek (2008) in order to control for selection bias, we narrow down the comparison group by only taking into account the firms that applied to at least one program but were not accepted for any. Results show that only personal training and technology adoption and management programs contribute to an increase in R&D intensity, while personal training and export promotion programs increase innovation expenditures. These results suggest that in developing countries public support for innovation should be more concerned with competence building rather than with the exploitation of the existing innovation frontiers.

Línea de investigación: Innovación, Productividad, Competitividad


[Artículos ] Determinants of social spending in Latin America during and after the Washington consensus: a dynamic panel error-correction model analysis

F Martín Mayoral, J Fernández Sastre. - Latin American Economic Review. Vol. 26, No. 1, p. 10. (2017) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40503-017-0053-6

This paper examines the determinants of social spending in Latin America during the period 1990–2012 and how they differed between the years of the Washington Consensus (1990–2000) and the period that followed (2001–2012). Special attention is also paid to the evaluation of convergence towards a common upper-bounded steady state (absolute beta convergence) or to specific steady states conditioned by their country’s specific determinants (conditional beta convergence). We estimate a panel error-correction version of an autoregressive distributed lag model to identify the long-term relationships between social expenditure and its determinants. Generalised methods of moments estimators are used to control the endogeneity of the regressors. Results indicate that Latin American social spending follows a conditional beta convergence process over the Washington consensus period that was mainly driven by structural differences in fiscal burdens and external debt, while during the second period it was explained by conjunctural differences in the fiscal burden, GDP per capita and the growth of trade and capital openness.

Línea de investigación: Innovación, Productividad, Competitividad


[Artículos ] Assessing the impact of public support for innovation in an emerging innovation system

F Martín Mayoral, J Fernández Sastre. - International Journal of Technological Learning, Innovation and Development, Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 42-64. (2017). DOI: 10.1504/IJTLID.2017.10003734

In developing countries, most public programs supporting innovation are intended to enlarge firms' technological capabilities. Although these programs may induce firms to change their innovative behaviour, their effects have not been evaluated yet. This paper examines the impact of various innovation support programs upon firms' innovation inputs in the context of an emerging innovation system. Following Leuven and Oosterbeek (2008) in order to control for selection bias, we narrow down the comparison group by only taking into account the firms that applied to at least one program but were not accepted for any. Results show that only personal training and technology adoption and management programs contribute to an increase in R&D intensity, while personal training and export promotion programs increase innovation expenditures. These results suggest that in developing countries public support for innovation should be more concerned with competence building rather than with the exploitation of the existing innovation frontiers.

Línea de investigación: Innovación, Productividad, Competitividad