Assessing the impacts of innovation barriers: a qualitative analysis of Brazil's natural resources industry

摘要

Innovation obstacles are present in any economy, especially in developing ones. This paper provides a qualitative assessment of innovation barriers faced by Brazilian firms in natural resources-related industries. Our findings suggest that financial obstacles are the main barrier for innovation efforts, especially for radical innovations, although firms sometimes do not know how to distinguish it from other barriers. Knowledge barriers also hamper firms to innovate regardless of their size, yet regulatory is more prominent on small firms. Finally, cooperation is a way to circumvent these barriers.