Technology audit as a policy instrument to improve innovations and industrial competitiveness in countries in transition

Sustained economic growth in Central and Eastern European Countries depends, among other factors, on a radical technical restructuring. The instrument of technology audit supports policy makers in designing appropriate strategies for shaping science and technology policies in this process. The conceptual part of the article outlines the methodology for the analysis of strengths and weaknesses of R&D systems and future areas of competitiveness, which can be transferred also to other countries in periods of intense technological development. This approach is based on international best practice of evaluation research and practical experiences in the transition context. The empirical part outlines main findings of a technology audit in the field of biotechnology in Hungary.     

Foreign direct investment in the former communist world: A key vehicle for technological upgrading?

Foreign direct investment (FDI) is a crucially important, though not unique, vehicle for technology transfer in the context of transition. Analysis of actual patterns of FDI does, however, reveal a serious danger—that FDI may be asset absorbing (shallow integration) rather than asset creating (deep integration), i.e. may simply exploit existing factor endowments, including technological capabilities, rather than upgrading them. While abuse of market power does occur with FDI, it should not be seen as a critical problem as long as genuine asset creation is going on. At present there is a serious mismatch between the S&T systems of the transition countries and the needs of foreign firms carrying out FDI. It would be unrealistic to expect FDI to drive the process of resolution if these mismatch.     

Gender Gaps in Educational Outcomes Among Children of New Migrants: The Role of Social Integration from a Comparative Perspective

This article reviews current research on gender gaps in educational outcomes among children of new migrants (first, 1.5, and second generations) from a comparative cross‐national perspective. The article examines potential explanations for why gendered differences in educational outcomes among immigrants (vis‐à‐vis non‐migrants) continue to occur, focusing on individual, schooling, and institutional factors. For example, while gender gaps in expectations and aspirations as well as some cognitive outcomes are increasing (reading ability is considerably higher among females) and shrinking in specific subjects (e.g. math and science ability is slightly higher among boys), that process often has been less explored within and across immigrant vis‐à‐vis non‐immigrant students. We show that in some countries, gender gaps among disadvantaged ethnic minorities (in relation to other groups) continue to persist and are exacerbated by institutional factors. These disadvantages vary not only across different educational systems and at different rates over time but also are based on students' social background. Overall, we argue that these educational inequalities are key to understanding not only the socioeconomic and future political adaptation of migrants and their children but also future social policy developments in the European Union context.     

Innovation Policy Challenges in Transition Countries: Foreign Business R&D in the Czech Republic and Hungary

R&D expenditures of national firms decreased considerably and structural changes of R&D financing followed the fall of planned economy in the transition period of Central Eastern European economies. In the middle of the 1990s, business R&D started to grow in the Czech Republic and Hungary due to investments of foreign affiliates and restructuring of domestic companies. Nowadays multinational companies have a decisive share in business R&D in these countries, which entails special challenges for national innovation policy. In this paper, we look through the development of the Czech and Hungarian innovation policy considering MNEs R&D. We use case studies of the Czech automobile industry, the Hungarian pharmaceutical industry, and the new MNE-related university units and private universities to show how these companies influence innovation systems in transition economies.      

Multiple Views of the Family and Adolescent Social Competencies

This research examined the linkages between congruence in perceptions of family functioning and adolescent competencies with a sample of 223 first‐year college students, their mothers, and their fathers. The primary goal was to explore further the nature and importance of perceptual congruence as related to adolescent social competencies with a more informative analytic strategy than has been used in most past research (one that controls for individual perceptions of family members and takes into account direction of differences among family members), and with more comprehensive, multimethod assessments of adolescent competencies. Our congruence analyses portrayed a more complex picture of congruence and divergence than has emerged from previous studies, and highlight the importance of examining interaction patterns in future research. It is noteworthy, however, that individual perceptions of family members were more important than was congruence in relation to adolescent social competencies. The possibility that congruence effects may be more apparent when the focus is on more specific rather than global measures and on developmental as well as family interaction processes is suggested.     

Culture and national S&T performance: A framework for analysing socio‐institutional factors in RTD policy making

Since the 1970s, policy makers and researchers have attempted to understand what factors influence national S&T performance. Whereas researchers predominantly aimed at explaining disparate economic development paths by understanding the role of innovation and technological advance in the evolution of economic systems, policy makers hoped to discover those mechanism that would enhance national S&T performance. The work of Mary Douglas provides a framework for systematically comparing organizational and institutional cultures. Although Mary Douglas originally devised the approach to explain her African fieldwork data, successive social scientists, most notably Aaron Wildavsky, Michael Thompson, and Steve Rayner, have adapted the model to suit the needs of policy analysis.     

Reflecting on the Social Environment Dimensions of HB&SE

SUMMARY

This paper discusses the contributions of three studies of the Human Behavior and the Social Environment curriculum presented in this volume (Mulroy & Austin; Taylor, Mulroy, & Austin; Taylor, Austin, & Mulroy). A key theme across these theoretical and empirical pieces is that content related to social environment may not be coherently or consistently presented across courses. This finding is discussed in light of the general move toward contextualism in the social sciences in recent decades. Implications for social work pedagogy, research, and theory development are discussed.     

Measuring the adoption of innovation. A typology of EU countries based on the Innovation Survey

Based on the Community Innovation Survey, this paper suggests new indicators of innovation adoption. The magnitude of innovation adoption is assessed for 22 EU countries and different industries. The most striking feature is the correlation between the innovation activities and the adoption rate. Countries with strong R&D and human resources and high innovation output exhibit the highest adoption rates. This supports the idea that innovation adoption requires an absorption capability. In addition, the specificities of each country regarding the prevailing types of innovation and adoption (product or process, cooperation-based adoption or internal adoption) allow us to draw up a typology of the EU countries, for which a specific geographical pattern is observed.     

Latino Students' Transition to Middle School: Role of Bilingual Education and School Ethnic Context

Participants were 204 academically at‐risk Latino students recruited into a study when in first grade and followed for 9 years. Using piecewise latent growth curve analyses, we investigated trajectories of teacher‐rated behavioral engagement and student‐reported school belonging during elementary school and middle school and the association between trajectories and enrollment in bilingual education classes in elementary school and a change in school ethnic congruence across the transition to middle school. Overall, students experienced a drop in school belonging and behavioral engagement across the transition. A moderating effect of ethnic congruence on bilingual enrollment was found. A decline in ethnic congruence was associated with more positive trajectories for students previously enrolled in bilingual classes but more negative trajectories for nonbilingual students.     

The influence of distal antecedents on organization-public relationships

ABSTRACT

This study proposed a conceptual model of organization-public relationships (OPRs) that draws distinctions between the distal (enduring individual, organizational, and environmental factors) and proximal (situational individual and organizational behaviors and interactions) antecedents that precede and influence OPR perceptions. Using an online survey of 514 adults residing in the United States, this study identified which relational antecedents motivated individuals to enter OPRs across different types of organizations. Additionally, the study examined the relative influence of motives, perceived issue congruence, and perceived value congruence on individuals’ perceptions of OPRs. Findings suggest social/cultural expectations and risk reduction are the most common motives for entering OPRs; however, perceived issue and value congruence with the organization are more influential than other antecedents in shaping cognitions regarding OPRs.     

Environmentalization: Origins,Processes, and Implications for Rural Social Change1

Abstract This paper seeks to go beyond the sui eneris conception of the increased role of “green” forces and the concomitant environmentalization of institutional practices in the United States and elsewhere across the world. It is argued that these forces must be located in the transition from social-democratic to neo-conservative regimes of social regulation of economy and society that has occurred during the past 15 or so years of global economic stagnation. This transition and its reflection in greening and environmentalization may be seen to have contradictory implications for rural societies. These implications are explored briefly with respect to sustainable development programs in the developing countries, sustainable agricultural research and outreach in the United States, and the possible growth of environmental symbolization of rural spaces.     

The universal semigroup of relations

Semigroup theory is shown to be a very flexible and appropriate language for the study of social relations. Some of the difficulties with the application of the Lorrain and White (1971) approach to social relations are discussed. It is pointed out that the ‘universal’ semigroup of relations is often more suitable for studying relations than the more commonly used ‘semigroup of relations’. Several standard examples and techniques are presented for the study of semigroups. The concept of structural equivalence is generalized to structural similarity modulo a congruence relation. A Galois connection, between the set of relations on the social relations themselves and the lattice of congruences on the universal semigroup, is applied to the evolution of kinship systems.     

Pathways of Technological Change in Developing Countries: Review and New Agenda

This article argues the need for strategic reorientation with regard to the technological advancement of developing countries. The continued relevance of incremental capability‐building strategies in manufacturing is questioned by: (i) the emergence of new knowledge areas, some of which require closer links with science; (ii) recognition that past strategies have not solved the poverty problem; and (iii) unprecedented environmental problems that cannot be solved by existing Western technologies alone. A more pluralist approach is recommended, with increased attention to creative innovation capabilities. Cases of innovations in information communication technology, health and energy show potentially large economic and social impacts, but also highlight systemic obstacles to their realisation.     

The Money–Happiness Relationship in Transition Countries: Evidence from Albania

With an empirical analysis on a panel of individuals living in a transition country (Albania) we document that the impact of money on happiness does not depend only on the pecuniary outcome but also on aspirations and conditions leading to its determination. Additional factors which matter are the self perceived economic status and the share earned from remittances (and, more weakly, from social assistance). By looking at different sides of the phenomenon we find that these factors affect levels, changes in income and the probability of being “frustrated achievers”. Finally, unlike what happens in developed countries, higher income levels are negatively and not positively correlated with the probability of frustrated achievement thereby supporting the hypothesis that individuals in transition countries are not in the upper side of a concave happiness-income relationship.     

Social innovations for social cohesion in Western Europe: success dimensions for lifelong learning and education

In addressing the EU2020 goals, skills shortage combined with increasing unemployment rates is to be primarily tackled in Western Europe; the common factor here is education. Education and lifelong learning (LL) are the key strands governing employability in the European labour market. Overarching concepts capable of addressing social challenges within education and LL that contribute towards better practices are seen as social innovations (SI). While SI in education is well founded in the developing countries, Europe is still in the process of gaining progressive momentum in this direction. In addressing various societal challenges, this study looks at observable trends in SI for education across Western Europe. About 30 innovations have been recorded across 11 countries that are essentially focussed on: social integration, alternative/new forms of education, digital learning, new learning arrangements, new LL strategies, early career planning, youth employment, quality improvements and new education standards, transition management, and entrepreneurial education.     

Labor Force Trends and Immigration in Europe1

Labor force trends up to 2025 for the fifteen countries (before May 1, 2004) of the European Community are examined. Will demographic decline have an early effect on manpower volume? An estimation is made to determine whether present migratory flow levels in these countries will be sufficient to counter labor force stagnation. Manpower trend scenarios are proposed for each country. They show highly contrasting situations. These countries favor different policies for mobilizing and increasing their manpower volume. There is wide divergence between the various EU countries as concerns their demogra hic situation and labor force partici ation rate as well as their social security systems. labor force partici ation rate as well as their social security systems. Considering these highly diverse national characteristics, the difficulty in arrivin at a consensus on EU migratory policy harmonization is stressed