Issue #226
January 15, 2011
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This newsletter is published by ONRIS at the Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto, and sponsored by the Ministry of Research and Innovation. The views and ideas expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Ontario Government.
ANNOUNCEMENTS [Table of Contents]
Recently,P resident Barack Obama signed the reauthorization of the AMERICA COMPETES Act, extending the federal competitiveness initiative that provides funding for numerous science, STEM education and commercialization programs. Though the final bill represents a significantly scaled-back version of the legislation passed in May by the House of Representatives, the final version will allow the programs introduced in the AMERICA COMPETES Act to continue for another three years. The reauthorization also includes a new regional innovation program to award competitive grants for activities relating to the formation and development of regional innovation clusters. Central to this is a new competitive grant program that will make awards available to regional cluster initiatives on a matching basis.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants to establish regional economic development councils to assist the state's institutions of higher education with commercializing research. The councils also could compete for $200 million of existing money to develop job creation plans. The governor also recommends changes to the newly enacted Excelsior tax credit program allowing companies to expand their R&D tax credits.
EDITOR'S PICK [Table of Contents]
OECD Science, Technology and Industry Outlook 2010
OECD
In the search for a rapid, sustainable and lasting recovery from the economic crisis, science, technology and innovation are expected to play a driving role. But what are the implications for science and innovation policy? What steps are countries taking to boost their capabilities in these areas? What place are emerging economies likely to occupy in the science, technology and innovation landscape? This publication reviews key trends in science, technology and innovation in OECD countries and a number of major emerging economies including Brazil, China, India, Russia and South Africa. Using the latest available data and indicators, it examines topics high on the agenda of economic policy makers, including performance in science and innovation, trends in national science, technology and innovation policies and the design and assessment of innovation policy, including policy interactions and the “policy mix”. It provides individual profiles of the science and innovation performance of each country and relates these to their national context and current policy challenges.
INNOVATION & RELATED POLICY [Table of Contents]
America 2021: Jobs and the Economy
ITIF
What will America's economy look like in ten years? Are some jobs gone for good? Can smart policies now help create a more prosperous America by 2021? "America 2021" is a series sponsored by the Democracy Journal, which brings together top minds to look at various aspects of U.S. life ten years from now. The current edition looks at jobs and the economy and features insights from ITIF President Robert Atkinson, Heather Boushey from the Center for American Progress, Harry J. Holzer, former chief economist at the U.S. Department of Labor, Thea M. Leeof the AFL-CIO, and Sherle R. Schwenninger of New America Foundation. Columnist and Democracy's editorial chair E. J. Dionne, Jr., moderated the discussion.
Regional Innovation Policy Beyond Best Practices: Lessons from Sweden
Roman Martin, Jerker Moodysson and Elena Zukauskaite, CIRCLE
This paper deals with policy measures in the regional innovation system of Scania, Southern Sweden. It focuses on the requirements of innovation policy from actors representing different industries. Previous studies have identified profound differences with regard to the organization of knowledge sourcing between firms and other actors in industries drawing on different knowledge bases. In correspondence with these findings, industries differ also with regard to how policy measures aiming to support innovation are perceived and acquired. Despite this, there is a tendency among regional policy programs to base their strategies on one ‘best practice’-model, inspired by successful (or sometimes less successful) cases in other parts of the world. The paper presents an in-depth analysis of such policy support targeting three industries located in one region, and ends with a suggestion to how those should be adapted to render influence on the institutional framework of the regional innovation system.
CITIES, CLUSTERS & REGIONS [Table of Contents]
Wiley Staley, The Next American City
President Obama spoke to the U.S. Conference of Mayors in June 2008. “To seize the possibility of this moment,” he told them, “we need to promote strong cities as the backbone of regional growth. And yet Washington remains ... wedded to an outdated ‘urban’ agenda that focuses exclusively on the problems in our cities, and ignores our growing metro areas; an agenda that confuses antipoverty policy with a metropolitan strategy, and ends up hurting both.” He closed with a promise: “If you’re willing to work with me and fight with me and stand with me ... then I promise you this — we will not only rebuild and renew our American cities, north and south, east and west, but you and I, together, will rebuild and renew the promise of America.” This article explores the extent to which Obama has delivered, and to what extent can he deliver.
STATISTICS & INDICATORS [Table of Contents]
OECD Economic Surveys: Euro Area 2010
OECD
The 2010 edition of OECD's periodic review of the Euro area economy. This edition includes chapters covering exiting from the crisis, resolving unsustainable imbalances, rebuilding public finances and fiscal discipline and minimising risks from imblances in European banking.
Understanding the Economy: State-by-State Snapshots
U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee
This Joint Economic Committee state-by-state analysis finds that jobs are returning faster compared with previous recessions, despite greater overall job losses across all 50 states. While the recovery looks different across states, 46 states and the District of Columbia added private-sector jobs from January to November this year, with an increase of 4 percent in the District of Columbia and more than 2 percent in Oklahoma, Texas, Minnesota, Arkansas, North Dakota, Louisiana and Indiana. The most recent recession was deeper in terms of job losses than any of the four previous recessions — national job losses were 5.3 percent this time around, compared with job losses of 1.2 percent (2001), 1.1 percent (1982-83) and 3.1 percent (1981-82). The economy is showing positive signs of growth heading into 2011, with the index of leading economic indicators increasing 1.1 percent in November, the biggest jump since March, when the index jumped 1.4 percent.
EVENTS [Table of Contents]
2011 NSF Engineering Research and Innovation Conference
Atlanta, 4-7 January, 2011
This premier National Science Foundation (NSF) conference, sponsored by the Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI), focuses on research and education across the Division's programs. With an anticipated international attendance of 1,300 people from academe, industry, and government, the program for the January 2011 conference will be centered on the theme Engineering for Sustainability and Prosperity, and will emphasize the role civil, mechanical, industrial, and manufacturing engineers will be required to play in addressing the world's growing challenges of using energy and natural resources in a sustainable manner.
Cities in the U.S. and Around the World: Getting Finances Right
Toronto, 6 January, 2011
This lecture will focus on the fiscal health of big cities. Professor Howard Chernick (Economics, Hunter College and the Graduate Center, CUNY) will discuss the mix of revenue sources, including taxes on business and commuters, the role of states (and provinces), and stability through the business cycle. While focused on the U.S., he will also use examples from Canada, Sweden, France, and India.
DRUID/DIME Academy Winter Conference
Aalborg, Denmark, 20-22 January, 2011
The conference is open for all PhD students working within the broad field of economics and management of innovation and organizational change. We invite papers aiming at enhancing our understanding of the dynamics of technological, structural and institutional change at the level of firms, industries, regions and nations. DRUID is the node for an open international network - new partners are always of interest (we of course encourage DRUID Academy PhD students and students connected to the ETIC PhD program to submit an abstract as well). Do not hesitate to apply even if you have not been in contact with DRUID previously.
CALL FOR PAPERS - Workshop on the Organization, Economics and Policy of Scientific Research
Torino, Italy, 18-19 February, 2011
Following the success of the three previous workshops held in Torino under the auspices of LEI & BRICK (University of Torino – Collegio Carlo Alberto) with the support of the DIME network of excellence, we are organising a new workshop in collaboration with the COST Action on “Science and Technology Research in a Knowledge-based Economy - STRIKE”. The aim of the workshop is to bring together a small group of scholars interested in the analysis of the production and diffusion of scientific research from an economics, historical, organizational and policy perspective.
CALL FOR PAPERS - What Future for Cohesion Policy? An Academic and Policy Debate
Sava Hoteli Bled, Slovenia, 16-18 March, 2011
This conference, co-organized by DG Regio (European Commission, the Regional Studies Association adn the Government Office for Local Self-Government and Regional Policy, Slovenia will involve a number of invited plenary presentations, and workshop or other small group discussions.
TCI European Regional Cluster Conference: Inspiring Clusters in the Beginning of the New Decade 
Tallinn, Estonia, 29-30 March, 2011
TCI European regional conference in 2011 will focus on how to improve the Cluster policies both on European, national and regional level and how to achieve excellence in cluster management. The conference will also provide a deeper insight into cluster development in Eastern and Central Europe being the first TCI conference in this region. In addition to the main programme of the conference, several parallel sessions will be organized based on Open Space Technology, where the participant can define the topics of their core interest and lead the discussion themselves. As an optional program visits to Estonian cluster initiatives will be organized for the interested particpants. The cluster intiatives, which can be visited are in the field of ICT, Forest and Wood, Wind Energy, Creative Industries and ECO Construction. In addition also cultural program focused on Tallinn as Culutral Capital of Europe 2011 will be available.
CALL FOR PAPERS - Public Administration, Technology and Innovation
Tallinn, Estonia, 6-7 May, 2011
Technological developments of the last decades have brought the co-evolutionary linkages between technology and public sector institutions into the center of both economics and public administration research. Technologies can, arguably, make public administration more effective, efficient, transparent and more accountable; but they can also cause problems with privacy, sustainability, legality, and equality, to name just a few examples. Recent public sector austerity measures (and attempts at lean government in general) may thwart socio-political efforts to foster technological innovation; but they can at the same time lead to greater willingness of governments to adopt new technologies and management principles based, directly or indirectly, on technological innovations. The challenge to public administration research is not only to trace and understand these linkages, but to find working solutions to these apparent trade-offs, and even to investigate the nature and permutations of the techno-administrative interface generally. We are inviting papers dealing with theoretical or empirical topics looking at either side of the co-evolution perspective of technological and institutional development; the role of public administration in technological progress and innovation; and the role of technology and innovation in the trajectories of public administration.
Woods Hole, MA, 15-18 May, 2011
Applications are sought from teachers and researchers who are interested in moving beyond their current disciplinary and academic boundaries to explore concepts and practices that help us work in the arena bordered on one side by critical interpretation of the directions taken by scientific and technological research and application and on the other side by organizing social movements so as to influence those directions. Participants are encouraged, but not required, to submit a manuscript or sketch related to the workshop topic that would be read by others before the workshop and be subject to focused discussion during the workshop. There is also room for participants to develop--either before or during the workshop--activities or interactive presentations to engage the other participants.
ICIM 2011: International Conference on Innovation and Management
Tokyo, Japan, 25-27 May, 2011
The International Conference on Innovation and Management aims to bring together academic scientists, leading engineers, industry researchers and scholar students to exchange and share their experiences and research results about all aspects of Innovation and Management, and discuss the practical challenges encountered and the solutions adopted.
Copenhagen, Denmark, 15-17 June, 2011
DRUID 2011 intends to map theoretical, empirical and methodological advances, contribute with novel insights and stimulate a lively debate about how technologies, economic systems and organizations evolve and co-evolve. The conference will include targeted plenary debates where internationally merited scholars take stands on contemporary issues within the overall conference theme.
CALL FOR PAPERS - Regional Studies Association - Third Global Conference on Economic Geography
Seoul, Korea, 28 June - July 2, 2011
In the wake of the economic downturn of 2007-, the debate about the causes of the crisis and recession has focused upon the unbalanced nature of its economic models and geographies. Explanations have been concerned with the imbalances in international trade and currency flows, sectoral structures between especially financial and other services and manufacturing, the relative sizes and roles of the public and private sectors, the composition of demand between consumption and production as well as its domestic or external orientation, and its socially and spatially uneven geographies. Following this diagnosis of the problems, debate about recovery has focused upon the idea of ‘rebalancing’ as a means of rebuilding new economic models that somehow correct the problematic and disruptive imbalances that generated the crisis. ‘Rebalancing’ has become an international concern for high-income economies such as Australia, UK and Japan, middle-income economies such as Portugal and South Korea as well as emerging economies such as Brazil and China. Yet it is not clear what ‘rebalancing’ might mean, whether and how it can be achieved and how it relates to currently dominant ‘new economic geographical’ models promoting greater spatial agglomeration and concentration of economic activities. These sessions will engage this debate on rebalancing regional and national economies.
CALL FOR PAPERS - Building Capacity for Scientific Innovation and Outcomes
Atlanta, GA, 15-17 September, 2011
The ability of science and innovation systems to deliver depends on continually improving capacity. Yet, capacity is multidimensional and has interrelated characteristics and related challenges. The Atlanta Conference on Science and Innovation Policy 2011 will explore the research base that addresses the broad range of capacity related issues central to the structure, function, performance and outcomes of the science and innovation enterprises. The conference will include a variety of sessions: plenaries to discuss critical questions, contributed paper sessions and a young researcher poster competition.
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