Showing papers by "Keld Laursen published in 2000"

Do export and technological specialisation patterns co-evolve in terms of convergence or divergence? Evidence from 19 OECD countries, 1971-1991

Abstract: Several researchers looking at the development of international export specialisation patterns have shown that there is a weak tendency for OECD countries to exhibit decreased levels of specialisation. This finding is in contrast to findings made by other authors, who found increasing technological specialisation. The first aim of this paper is to investigate whether these contradictory findings are due to a `real world' phenomenon, or whether the explanation is purely technical, by comparing the development of export specialisation to specialisation in terms of US patents, using the same methodology and level of aggregation. The second aim is to analyse the extent to which countries and sectors display stable specialisation patterns over time, also both in terms of exports and in terms of technology. The paper confirms that the OECD countries tend in general to become less specialised in terms of exports. The evidence is less conclusive with regard to technological specialisation, as the results are mixed in the sense that just about half of the countries tend to exhibit increased levels of specialisation, while the other half tend to exhibit lower levels of specialisation. In terms of country and sectoral stability of specialisation patterns, it can be concluded that both trade specialisation and technological specialisation patterns are path-dependent. In comparison, however, trade specialisation patterns are more stable than are technological specialisation patterns.

New HRM Practices, Complementarities, and the Impact on Innovation Performance

Abstract: Although organisational structure has sometimes been mentioned in evolutionaryeconomics as well as in the innovation literature as a possible determinant of innovationperformance, very little systematic theoretical and empirical work exist on this issue. Inthis paper, we take our theoretical point of departure in recent work in organisationaleconomics and elsewhere, on systems of human resource management practices. We putand develop the argument that just as complementarities between new HRM practicespositively influence financial performance, they will also positively influence innovationperformance. We examine this overall hypothesis by estimating an empirical model ofinnovation performance, using data from a Danish survey of 1900 business firms. Usingprincipal components analysis we identify two HRM systems which are conducive toinnovation. The first is one in which all of our nine HRM variables matter (almost)equally for the ability to innovate. The second system, which is found to be conducive toinnovation is dominated by performance related pay and to some extent by firm-internaltraining. Of our total of nine sectors we find that the four manufacturing sectors correlatewith the first system, while also firms located in ICT intensive service sectors areassociated with the first system. Firms belonging to the wholesale trade sector tend to beassociated with the second system.JEL classification :C25, D23, O32KeywordsInnovation, human resource management practices, organisational complementarities,evolutionary economics.

The Importance of Technology-Based Intersectoral Linkages for Market Share Dynamics.

Abstract: The Importance of Technology-Based Intersectoral Linkages for Market Share Dynamics. — The paper introduces technology-based intersectoral linkages (or technological spillovers) in an empirical model of international market share dynamics. The Pavitt taxonomy is applied as a yardstick for interpreting the empirical results. Overall, the results appear to be broadly consistent with the criteria behind the taxonomy, on the relative importance of the different factors of competitiveness in the different sectors. In particular, unit labour costs appear to play the largest role in supplier-dominated industries, ‘own sector’ technological activity plays the largest role in science-based industries, upstream linkages in scale-intensive and downstream linkages in specialized-supplier types of industries.

Trade specialisation, technology and economic growth : theory and evidence from advanced countries

Abstract: Part 1 Introduction: the theme a survey of the theoretical literature on the trade and growth a comparison of measures of international specialization. Part 2 The development of international specialization patterns: structural change in OECD export specialization patterns - de-specialization and "stickiness" do export and technological specialization patterns co-evolve in terms of convergence or divergence? Part 3 The determinants of international specialization: horizontal diversification as a determinant of specialization - the case of Denmark and pharmaceuticals do inter-sectoral linkages matter for international export specialization? Part 4 The effects of international trade specialization: the impact of technological opportunity on the dynamics of trade performance does specialization matter for growth? how structural change differs, and why it matters (for economic growth).

Trade specialisation, technology and economic growth

Abstract: How does Ricardian specialisation affect economic development in relatively advanced countries? Keld Laursen, inspired by the myriad newly-emergent neoclassical/new industrial economics contributions, makes a detailed study of the role of specialisation and structural change in advanced economies. Until now, these theoretical contributions have not been subjected to a systematic empirical investigation.