a column by Henrique Basso and Juan F Jimeno for VOX: CEPR’s Policy Portal
Advanced economies will face large demographic and radical technological change in the next decades.
This column shows how demographics and endogenous technological changes, which encompass both innovation and automation, can interact to limit the future prospects for growth and alter the factor income distribution. Due to a trade-off between innovation and automation, lower fertility and population ageing are likely to generate more automation, but also lead to a reduction in GDP per capita growth and the labour income share.
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Showing posts with label innovation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label innovation. Show all posts
Thursday, 5 December 2019
Friday, 25 October 2019
The roles of universities in knowledge-based urban development: a critical review
an article by Andrew Johnston (IBERG, Sheffield Hallam University, UK) published in International Journal of Knowledge-Based Development Volume 10 Number 3 (2019)
Abstract
Universities are increasingly recognised as key actors in the knowledge-based urban development process, occupying a crucial role of knowledge creators and transmitters.
This paper takes a critical view of these roles and reviews the extant literature to present a synopsis of relevant work examining universities and open innovation, the uncertainties involved in the process of knowledge transfer, and the spatial scope of university-industry links.
The paper proposes a number of areas for future development: understanding the heterogeneity of universities and how this influences their potential roles in knowledge-based urban development; a better understanding of how uncertainties in the partner selection process may prevent efficient university-industry collaboration to promote knowledge-based urban development; further exploration of the micro-level processes involved in knowledge transfer between universities and firms; and a broader understanding of the roles of proximities in facilitating these links.
Abstract
Universities are increasingly recognised as key actors in the knowledge-based urban development process, occupying a crucial role of knowledge creators and transmitters.
This paper takes a critical view of these roles and reviews the extant literature to present a synopsis of relevant work examining universities and open innovation, the uncertainties involved in the process of knowledge transfer, and the spatial scope of university-industry links.
The paper proposes a number of areas for future development: understanding the heterogeneity of universities and how this influences their potential roles in knowledge-based urban development; a better understanding of how uncertainties in the partner selection process may prevent efficient university-industry collaboration to promote knowledge-based urban development; further exploration of the micro-level processes involved in knowledge transfer between universities and firms; and a broader understanding of the roles of proximities in facilitating these links.
Thursday, 21 February 2019
“Robots do not replace a nurse with a beating heart”: The publicity around a robotic innovation in elderly care
an article by Outi Tuisku, Satu Pekkarinen, Lea Hennala and Helinä Melkas, (Lappeenranta University of Technology, Lahti, Finland) published in Information Technology & People Volume 32 Issue 1 (2019)
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the publicity around the implementation of the Zora robot in elderly-care services in Lahti, Finland. The aim is to discover opinions concerning the use of robots in elderly care as well as the arguments and justifications behind those opinions. Zora is a humanoid robot intended to promote mobility and rehabilitation. The Lahti pilot was the first Zora pilot in Finland in public elderly-care services. It received much publicity, both regionally and nationally.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is based on an empirical case study on the implementation of the Zora robot in elderly-care services. The data consist of interviews with personnel who operated Zora and comments from the general public about the “Zora” robot. Two data sources were used: 107 comments were collected from online and print media, and the personnel (n=39) who worked with Zora were interviewed. The data were analysed by means of interpretative content analysis.
Findings
The results show that public opinion is mainly negative, but that the commentators apparently have little information about the robot and its tasks. The personnel had more positive views; they saw it as a recreational tool, not as a replacement for their own roles.
Originality/value
There is clearly a need for more information, for a better informed discussion on how robots can be used in elderly care and how to involve the general public in this discussion in a constructive way.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the publicity around the implementation of the Zora robot in elderly-care services in Lahti, Finland. The aim is to discover opinions concerning the use of robots in elderly care as well as the arguments and justifications behind those opinions. Zora is a humanoid robot intended to promote mobility and rehabilitation. The Lahti pilot was the first Zora pilot in Finland in public elderly-care services. It received much publicity, both regionally and nationally.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is based on an empirical case study on the implementation of the Zora robot in elderly-care services. The data consist of interviews with personnel who operated Zora and comments from the general public about the “Zora” robot. Two data sources were used: 107 comments were collected from online and print media, and the personnel (n=39) who worked with Zora were interviewed. The data were analysed by means of interpretative content analysis.
Findings
The results show that public opinion is mainly negative, but that the commentators apparently have little information about the robot and its tasks. The personnel had more positive views; they saw it as a recreational tool, not as a replacement for their own roles.
Originality/value
There is clearly a need for more information, for a better informed discussion on how robots can be used in elderly care and how to involve the general public in this discussion in a constructive way.
Tuesday, 29 January 2019
Techies, trade, and skill-biased productivity
a column by James Harrigan, Ariell Reshef and Farid Toubal for VOX: CEPR’s Policy Portal
Economists have studied the nexus between labour demand, globalisation, and technology adoption for decades, but quantifying the relative importance of these factors is challenging.
Using firm-level data from France, this column proposes a new measure of productivity based on the number of workers in technology-related occupations.
It finds large effects of importing, ICT, and R&D on the relative demand for skilled workers through their effects on productivity. Interestingly, the demand for both skilled and unskilled workers rises when firms hire ‘techies’ or engage in offshoring.
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Economists have studied the nexus between labour demand, globalisation, and technology adoption for decades, but quantifying the relative importance of these factors is challenging.
Using firm-level data from France, this column proposes a new measure of productivity based on the number of workers in technology-related occupations.
It finds large effects of importing, ICT, and R&D on the relative demand for skilled workers through their effects on productivity. Interestingly, the demand for both skilled and unskilled workers rises when firms hire ‘techies’ or engage in offshoring.
Continue reading
Friday, 25 January 2019
May innovation on plant varieties share agricultural land with nature, or spare land for it?
an article by Simon Bordenave (AgroParisTech, INRA, Paris, France) published in International Journal of Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology Volume 14 Number 3 (2018)
Abstract
The development of more productive varieties has been at the core of the transformations of agriculture and its environmental impacts throughout the 20th century. Among the various environmental effects of agriculture, the ability to choose between wide, low-intensity agriculture, and concentrated, high-intensity one, is a crucial component of its impact on biodiversity conservation.
The impact of an innovation on land use and intensity of agriculture is thus an important determinant of its environmental footprint. The existing literature has studied how innovation modifies land use, but has not focused on how it changes production intensity.
The objective of this paper is to complement the existing analytical framework to account for the impact of varieties improvements on non-land inputs. It shows that innovation can simultaneously reduce land use and increase agricultural intensity only if it is biased towards one of these production factors, demand is elastic and production factors are hardly substitutable.
Abstract
The development of more productive varieties has been at the core of the transformations of agriculture and its environmental impacts throughout the 20th century. Among the various environmental effects of agriculture, the ability to choose between wide, low-intensity agriculture, and concentrated, high-intensity one, is a crucial component of its impact on biodiversity conservation.
The impact of an innovation on land use and intensity of agriculture is thus an important determinant of its environmental footprint. The existing literature has studied how innovation modifies land use, but has not focused on how it changes production intensity.
The objective of this paper is to complement the existing analytical framework to account for the impact of varieties improvements on non-land inputs. It shows that innovation can simultaneously reduce land use and increase agricultural intensity only if it is biased towards one of these production factors, demand is elastic and production factors are hardly substitutable.
Thursday, 27 December 2018
How the future of work may unfold: A corporate demand-side perspective
a colunm by Jacques Bughin for VIX: CEPR’s Policy Portal
Advances in artificial intelligence have led to fears of job losses.
This column uses a global survey covering more than 3,000 executives across 14 sectors and ten countries to examine the impact of AI on the demand side of the labour market. Ultimately, the effect on employment will depend on whether companies choose to use current forms of AI for innovation or pure automation, and whether they foresee a return from it.
Continue reading
Advances in artificial intelligence have led to fears of job losses.
This column uses a global survey covering more than 3,000 executives across 14 sectors and ten countries to examine the impact of AI on the demand side of the labour market. Ultimately, the effect on employment will depend on whether companies choose to use current forms of AI for innovation or pure automation, and whether they foresee a return from it.
Continue reading
Friday, 23 November 2018
Paradigms and paradoxes: the futures of growth and degrowth
an article by Udo Pesch, (Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands) published in International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy Volume 38 Issue 11/12 (November/December 2018)
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to introduce three storylines that address the relation between economic growth, technical innovation and environmental impact. The paper assesses if and how these storylines as guiding visions increase our range of future orientations.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper first explains its general outline and then explores different strands of literature to arrive at its analytical conclusions.
Findings
Pursuing the three storylines in a paradigmatic articulation creates paradoxes. The growth paradigm focuses on economic growth as its main goal. To overcome environmental degradation, products have to be substituted by environmentally friendly alternatives, but the continuous substitution of finite resources seems unlikely possible. The storyline of innovation sees technological development as a driver of economic progress, and holds that innovations allow the decoupling of economic growth from environmental impact, a claim that is compromised by the occurrence of rebound effects. The degrowth storyline holds that economic growth has to be stopped altogether, but is unclear how this can be done.
Originality/value
By articulating paradigmatic perspectives as storylines, a new understanding on how these perspectives can be figured as a constructive repertoire of guiding visions and not as mere theory-based descriptions.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to introduce three storylines that address the relation between economic growth, technical innovation and environmental impact. The paper assesses if and how these storylines as guiding visions increase our range of future orientations.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper first explains its general outline and then explores different strands of literature to arrive at its analytical conclusions.
Findings
Pursuing the three storylines in a paradigmatic articulation creates paradoxes. The growth paradigm focuses on economic growth as its main goal. To overcome environmental degradation, products have to be substituted by environmentally friendly alternatives, but the continuous substitution of finite resources seems unlikely possible. The storyline of innovation sees technological development as a driver of economic progress, and holds that innovations allow the decoupling of economic growth from environmental impact, a claim that is compromised by the occurrence of rebound effects. The degrowth storyline holds that economic growth has to be stopped altogether, but is unclear how this can be done.
Originality/value
By articulating paradigmatic perspectives as storylines, a new understanding on how these perspectives can be figured as a constructive repertoire of guiding visions and not as mere theory-based descriptions.
Wednesday, 21 November 2018
Universities and industrial strategy in the UK
CentrePiece article by Ghazala Azmat, Richard Murphy, Anna Valero and Gill Wyness
November 2018
Paper No' CEPCP539
The UK’s higher education sector is a source of national strength with the potential to contribute to all areas of the government’s industrial strategy. Anna Valero and colleagues review the evidence on how the positive economic effects of universities on individuals and the economy can be maximised.
Full paper (PDF 5pp)
Contains some very interesting, and easily assimilated, graphical representations.
November 2018
Paper No' CEPCP539
The UK’s higher education sector is a source of national strength with the potential to contribute to all areas of the government’s industrial strategy. Anna Valero and colleagues review the evidence on how the positive economic effects of universities on individuals and the economy can be maximised.
Full paper (PDF 5pp)
Contains some very interesting, and easily assimilated, graphical representations.
Monday, 29 October 2018
Taxation and innovation in the 20th century
a column by Ufuk Akcigit, John Grigsby, Tom Nicholas and Stefanie Stantcheva for VOX: CEPR’s Policy Portal
Understanding how taxation influences innovation is of central importance to create investment incentives for R&D, yet our knowledge remains limited due to a lack of data, especially covering a long period of time.
This column uses newly constructed datasets from the 20th century to examine the effects of both personal and corporate income taxation on inventors, as well as on firms that do R&D. It finds consistently negative effects of high taxes on innovation over time as well as on individual inventors and firms.
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Understanding how taxation influences innovation is of central importance to create investment incentives for R&D, yet our knowledge remains limited due to a lack of data, especially covering a long period of time.
This column uses newly constructed datasets from the 20th century to examine the effects of both personal and corporate income taxation on inventors, as well as on firms that do R&D. It finds consistently negative effects of high taxes on innovation over time as well as on individual inventors and firms.
Continue reading
Thursday, 18 October 2018
Innovation and production in the global economy: The consequences of recent shocks
a column by Costas Arkolakis, Natalia Ramondo, Andres RodrÃguez-Clare and Stephen Yeaple for VIX: CEPR’s Policy Portal
One consequence of the last decades of globalisation is that, thanks to multinational firms, goods are increasingly being produced far from where ideas are created.
Using general equilibrium modelling, this column analyses the welfare and distributional effects of the recent wave of protectionism. Central to the results is the flexibility that multinational firms have in locating their innovation and production activities around the globe.
Continue reading
One consequence of the last decades of globalisation is that, thanks to multinational firms, goods are increasingly being produced far from where ideas are created.
Using general equilibrium modelling, this column analyses the welfare and distributional effects of the recent wave of protectionism. Central to the results is the flexibility that multinational firms have in locating their innovation and production activities around the globe.
Continue reading
Wednesday, 21 February 2018
Goals for algorithmic genies
an article by Hassan Masum (Waterloo Institute for Complexity and Innovation, University of Waterloo, Canada) and Mark Tovey (Centre for Planetary Science and Exploration, Western University, Canada) published in First Monday Volume 23 Number 2 (February 2018)
Abstract
Algorithmic genies built from growing computational capabilities bring risks like automating well-paying jobs, yet we suggest that if supplied with suitable goals and supporting infrastructure they can help in meeting many human needs. We argue that algorithmic genies can be harnessed to raise the baseline experience of people worldwide (raising the floor), especially if such harnessing is informed by wide consensus and deep evidence.
Examples show how algorithmic genies could raise the floor for widely agreed human needs like health, education, and other components of the Social Progress Index.
Ensuring that both the least well off and the majority share in the benefits of progress can help to ensure the floor is raised for all (floored progress). Floored progress can apply beyond basic human needs to problems that people across the economic spectrum struggle with (shared floors).
We include three tables with illustrative opportunities, and conclude by summarizing the value of raising floors individually and in concert.
Full text (HTML)
Abstract
Algorithmic genies built from growing computational capabilities bring risks like automating well-paying jobs, yet we suggest that if supplied with suitable goals and supporting infrastructure they can help in meeting many human needs. We argue that algorithmic genies can be harnessed to raise the baseline experience of people worldwide (raising the floor), especially if such harnessing is informed by wide consensus and deep evidence.
Examples show how algorithmic genies could raise the floor for widely agreed human needs like health, education, and other components of the Social Progress Index.
Ensuring that both the least well off and the majority share in the benefits of progress can help to ensure the floor is raised for all (floored progress). Floored progress can apply beyond basic human needs to problems that people across the economic spectrum struggle with (shared floors).
We include three tables with illustrative opportunities, and conclude by summarizing the value of raising floors individually and in concert.
Full text (HTML)
Sunday, 11 February 2018
On three canonical responses to labour saving technical change
a column by Ravi Kanbur for VOX: CEPR’s Policy Portal
Technological innovation is broadly accepted as a driving force behind diverging wage trends in the last three decades.
If this is set to continue, policymakers must choose how to respond to the ensuing income inequality.
This column assesses two established policy response ideas – state-sponsored formal education, and tax and transfer mechanisms – and postulates a third, namely, that the pace and distributional effects of technological change should themselves be policy goals.
A policy intervention that would make innovation more labour intensive would be the most powerful response of all.
Continue reading
Technological innovation is broadly accepted as a driving force behind diverging wage trends in the last three decades.
If this is set to continue, policymakers must choose how to respond to the ensuing income inequality.
This column assesses two established policy response ideas – state-sponsored formal education, and tax and transfer mechanisms – and postulates a third, namely, that the pace and distributional effects of technological change should themselves be policy goals.
A policy intervention that would make innovation more labour intensive would be the most powerful response of all.
Continue reading
Saturday, 10 February 2018
Creativity and freedom
a column by Michel Serafinelli and Guido Tabellini for VOX: CEPR’s Policy Portal
Innovation is often concentrated in certain geographic areas, or ‘creative clusters’. This column uses novel data on famous births to explore the dynamics of creativity in European cities between the 11th and 19th centuries. The results show that creativity tends to precede economic prosperity, and that city institutions that protect personal and economic freedoms are conducive to radical innovation in a variety of domains.
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Innovation is often concentrated in certain geographic areas, or ‘creative clusters’. This column uses novel data on famous births to explore the dynamics of creativity in European cities between the 11th and 19th centuries. The results show that creativity tends to precede economic prosperity, and that city institutions that protect personal and economic freedoms are conducive to radical innovation in a variety of domains.
Continue reading
Monday, 18 December 2017
OECD Science, Technology and Industry Scoreboard 2017 - United Kingdom highlights
The OECD Scoreboard covers:
Full text (PDF 4pp) also provides links to further information.
- Science, innovation and the digital revolution
- Growth, jobs and the digital transformation and
- Innovation today - Taking action
Full text (PDF 4pp) also provides links to further information.
Thursday, 16 March 2017
Competitive urbanism and the limits to smart city innovation: The UK Future Cities initiative
an article by Nick Taylor Buck and Aidan While (University of Sheffield, UK)
published in Urban Studies
Volume 54 Issue 2 (February 2017)
Abstract
The technological vision of smart urbanism has been promoted as a silver bullet for urban problems and a major market opportunity. The search is on for firms and governments to find effective and transferable demonstrations of advanced urban technology.
This paper examines initiatives by the UK national government to facilitate urban technological innovation through a range of strategies, particularly the TSB Future Cities Demonstrator Competition.
This case study is used to explore opportunities and tensions in the practical realisation of the smart city imaginary. Tensions are shown to be partly about the conjectural nature of the smart city debate.
Attention is also drawn to weakened capacity of urban governments to control their infrastructural destiny and also constraints on the ability of the public and private sectors to innovate.
The paper contributes to smart city debates by providing further evidence of the difficulties in substantiating the smart city imaginary.
Full text (PDF)
Abstract
The technological vision of smart urbanism has been promoted as a silver bullet for urban problems and a major market opportunity. The search is on for firms and governments to find effective and transferable demonstrations of advanced urban technology.
This paper examines initiatives by the UK national government to facilitate urban technological innovation through a range of strategies, particularly the TSB Future Cities Demonstrator Competition.
This case study is used to explore opportunities and tensions in the practical realisation of the smart city imaginary. Tensions are shown to be partly about the conjectural nature of the smart city debate.
Attention is also drawn to weakened capacity of urban governments to control their infrastructural destiny and also constraints on the ability of the public and private sectors to innovate.
The paper contributes to smart city debates by providing further evidence of the difficulties in substantiating the smart city imaginary.
Full text (PDF)
Friday, 10 February 2017
How universities boost economic growth
a paper by Anna Valero (research economist in CEP’s growth programme) and John Van Reenen (professor of economics at MIT and formerly director of CEP) published in CentrePiece Volume 21 Issue 3 (Winter 2016) Paper No CEPCP488
Abstract
The expansion of higher education has helped to fuel economic growth around the world, according to research by Anna Valero and John Van Reenen.
Analysing data on 15,000 universities in 78 countries for the period since 1950, they find that there is a strong positive impact of university expansion on regional economic growth. Doubling the number of universities in a region raises future GDP per capita by 4%.
Focusing on the immediate challenges for the UK, they note that the benefits of university expansion far outweigh the costs, but Brexit poses significant risks.
Until now, UK universities have thrived in a climate of openness to international students, academics and collaboration.
JEL Classification: I23, I25, J24, O10, O31
Full paper
This paper summarises The Economic Impact of Universities: Evidence from Across the Globe by Anna Valero and John Van Reenen, CEP Discussion Paper No. 1444, August 2016
Full text (PDF 83pp)
Abstract
The expansion of higher education has helped to fuel economic growth around the world, according to research by Anna Valero and John Van Reenen.
Analysing data on 15,000 universities in 78 countries for the period since 1950, they find that there is a strong positive impact of university expansion on regional economic growth. Doubling the number of universities in a region raises future GDP per capita by 4%.
Focusing on the immediate challenges for the UK, they note that the benefits of university expansion far outweigh the costs, but Brexit poses significant risks.
Until now, UK universities have thrived in a climate of openness to international students, academics and collaboration.
JEL Classification: I23, I25, J24, O10, O31
Full paper
This paper summarises The Economic Impact of Universities: Evidence from Across the Globe by Anna Valero and John Van Reenen, CEP Discussion Paper No. 1444, August 2016
Full text (PDF 83pp)
Friday, 2 December 2016
Playing games at the Library: Seriously?
an article by Cécile Swiatek (Université Paris II Panthéon Assas, France) and Myriam Gorsse (Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris) published in Liber Quarterly: The Journal of the Association of European Research Libraries Volume 26 Number 2 (2016)
Abstract
During the past ten years, libraries have been developing gaming activities from library board games to mystery games and immersive role-playing games. This article aims at giving a general overview of gaming issues in French academic libraries.
General gaming theories are quickly reviewed, basic keys are given about how and why to set up a gaming service and department at the academic library, concrete and recent initiatives are presented.
This article focuses on non-virtual and public-oriented games that were already organised in and by libraries. More generally, it underlines how to use gaming activities for promoting organisational innovation.
It concludes on the necessity to settle a strategy for gaming activities, to enforce management practices, and on the importance to publicise the initiatives by establishing a public gaming policy and programme, and by formalising communication plans, staff training and knowledge management. The results of this fact study highlight how gaming activities are becoming a new reality for libraries, which requires a proper management perspective.
Full text (HTML)
Abstract
During the past ten years, libraries have been developing gaming activities from library board games to mystery games and immersive role-playing games. This article aims at giving a general overview of gaming issues in French academic libraries.
General gaming theories are quickly reviewed, basic keys are given about how and why to set up a gaming service and department at the academic library, concrete and recent initiatives are presented.
This article focuses on non-virtual and public-oriented games that were already organised in and by libraries. More generally, it underlines how to use gaming activities for promoting organisational innovation.
It concludes on the necessity to settle a strategy for gaming activities, to enforce management practices, and on the importance to publicise the initiatives by establishing a public gaming policy and programme, and by formalising communication plans, staff training and knowledge management. The results of this fact study highlight how gaming activities are becoming a new reality for libraries, which requires a proper management perspective.
Full text (HTML)
Friday, 23 January 2015
From inertia to innovation Information-based organizations in the Age of Intelligence
an article by Roberta I. Shaffer (Library of Congress) published in IFLA Journal Volume 40 Number 3 (October 2014)
Abstract
As the Information Age has given rise to the Intelligence Age, institutions of all kinds are challenged to adopt a culture of constant innovation. Innovation is the broad term and includes the concepts of invention, ingenuity, and improvisation. Organizations go through a process of inquiry, instigation, insight, initiation, imagination and inspiration, and inlightenment to ultimately achieve innovation.
However, the road to full innovation offers many options like creating an incubator or being iterative, instantaneous, incomplete, or infectious in approach to innovating. To begin the innovative process, organizations must be willing to look at all aspects of their operations, make long-term commitments to funding, accept the possibility of some failure, and look seriously at their missions, value systems and value propositions.
Organizations that are insular, inflexible, in-bred, insincere about innovating, insecure in their ability to deliver, and operate independently are more likely to disappear or diminish in their influence because their environment and culture will not sustain innovation.
Abstract
As the Information Age has given rise to the Intelligence Age, institutions of all kinds are challenged to adopt a culture of constant innovation. Innovation is the broad term and includes the concepts of invention, ingenuity, and improvisation. Organizations go through a process of inquiry, instigation, insight, initiation, imagination and inspiration, and inlightenment to ultimately achieve innovation.
However, the road to full innovation offers many options like creating an incubator or being iterative, instantaneous, incomplete, or infectious in approach to innovating. To begin the innovative process, organizations must be willing to look at all aspects of their operations, make long-term commitments to funding, accept the possibility of some failure, and look seriously at their missions, value systems and value propositions.
Organizations that are insular, inflexible, in-bred, insincere about innovating, insecure in their ability to deliver, and operate independently are more likely to disappear or diminish in their influence because their environment and culture will not sustain innovation.
Monday, 5 January 2015
The power to create
an article by Adam Lent published in RSA Journal Issue 2 (2014)
Governments, business and our institutions need to make the most of the technologies and methods that are transforming our economy.
The economist Eric Beinhocker once wrote that for 130,000 years of human history not much happened economically before all hell broke loose 250 years ago. He was not wrong. There were explosions of inventiveness, such as during the Roman Empire, but these would come to an end with the fall of the political system that sustained them. Average incomes improved at glacial rates: in the first century, most people could expect an income of around $1.20 a day; by the 18th, it had risen to $1.70.
This all changed in the late 1700s. Britain became the birthplace of an extraordinary revolution that would come to transform the world. Modern capitalism was being built on the back of an enormous flowering of commercial innovation: new machines, new products, new production systems, new business structures and new markets came to life.
Continue reading
Governments, business and our institutions need to make the most of the technologies and methods that are transforming our economy.
The economist Eric Beinhocker once wrote that for 130,000 years of human history not much happened economically before all hell broke loose 250 years ago. He was not wrong. There were explosions of inventiveness, such as during the Roman Empire, but these would come to an end with the fall of the political system that sustained them. Average incomes improved at glacial rates: in the first century, most people could expect an income of around $1.20 a day; by the 18th, it had risen to $1.70.
This all changed in the late 1700s. Britain became the birthplace of an extraordinary revolution that would come to transform the world. Modern capitalism was being built on the back of an enormous flowering of commercial innovation: new machines, new products, new production systems, new business structures and new markets came to life.
Continue reading
Friday, 2 January 2015
Work–Life ‘Balance’, Recession and the Gendered Limits to Learning and Innovation (Or, Why It Pays Employers To Care)
an article by Al James (Queen Mary University of London) published in Gender, Work & Organization Volume 21 Issue 3 (May 2014)
Abstract
The everyday challenges faced by workers ‘struggling to juggle’ competing commitments of paid work, home and family remain stubbornly persistent and highly gendered. Reinforcing these problems, many employers regard work-life balance (WLB) provision as too costly.
In response, this paper explores the learning and innovation advantages that can result from WLB provision in knowledge-intensive firms, as part of a WLB ‘mutual gains’ research agenda. These synergies are explored through a case study of IT workers and firms in two high-tech regional economies – Dublin, Ireland and Cambridge, UK – prior to (2006–8) and subsequent to (2010) the economic downturn.
The results suggest that by making available the kinds of WLB arrangements identified by workers as offering meaningful reductions in gendered work–life conflicts, employers can also enhance the learning and innovation processes within and between firms, which are widely recognized as fundamental for firms' long-term sustainable competitive advantage.
Abstract
The everyday challenges faced by workers ‘struggling to juggle’ competing commitments of paid work, home and family remain stubbornly persistent and highly gendered. Reinforcing these problems, many employers regard work-life balance (WLB) provision as too costly.
In response, this paper explores the learning and innovation advantages that can result from WLB provision in knowledge-intensive firms, as part of a WLB ‘mutual gains’ research agenda. These synergies are explored through a case study of IT workers and firms in two high-tech regional economies – Dublin, Ireland and Cambridge, UK – prior to (2006–8) and subsequent to (2010) the economic downturn.
The results suggest that by making available the kinds of WLB arrangements identified by workers as offering meaningful reductions in gendered work–life conflicts, employers can also enhance the learning and innovation processes within and between firms, which are widely recognized as fundamental for firms' long-term sustainable competitive advantage.
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