Policy Interventions for Technological Innovation in Developing Countries

摘要

This paper assesses the potential social payoff of alternative measures that might be taken to promote innovation in developing countries. It is mainly concerned with the general issues of encouraging technical innovation in the nonagricultural sectors. Part 1 discusses the process of innovation and describes the skills associated with it. Part 2 sets forth some of the special problems that developing economies encounter in building up innovative skills. Part 3 draws together some of the main implications for policy and explains how priorities for the development of local innovative activities might be determined. Part 4 analyzes the patterns of innovative activity that might be needed in developing economies--distinguishing between the modern formal sector and the informal sector, and between large and small enterprises in the formal sector. Part 5 summarizes the main conclusions and suggests some of the implications of adopting an approach that stems from these conclusions. (Copyright (c) 1980 The World Bank.)