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The purpose of this paper is to spatially and regionally examine academic engagement within Brazil, identifying patterns. Moreover, our investigation can contribute to a better understanding of how knowledge can be turned into a tool to fight regional inequality. We depart from two hypotheses: first, universities situated in peripheral regions interact more with companies from relatively more dynamic regions, and second, in the absence of industrial knowledge demand, universities tend to collaborate more closely with a diverse range of stakeholders in the region. To evaluate these hypotheses and find empirical evidence, we consider 4497 research groups and 4603 nonacademic organizations as "nodes" connected by 8830 collaborations throughout all Brazilian regions. Social network tools are used to illustrate the spatial and regional dimensions of academic engagement more accurately. The results show that academic engagement is not regionally homogeneous, demonstrating essential differences regarding local nonacademic partnerships. Innovation policies, which encourage only university–firm interactions, perpetuate regional inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main goal of this paper is to evaluate the role of inventor mobility and inventive collaboration in Brazilian regional innovation. We take into account the regional knowledge production function (RKPF) to incorporate the regional interactions promoted by these two important knowledge diffusion channels. Using a dynamic panel with data from a unique combination of the Intellectual Property Database for Statistical Purposes (BADEPI v1.0) and the Annual Social Information Report of the Labor Ministry (RAIS), we estimate the interregional inventor mobility and co-invention using a Poisson-Pseudo Maximum Likelihood estimator, and the RKPF using a system Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimator. Our results show that: (a) space exerts a relevant influence on an inventor's decision to migrate and to collaborate to innovate; (b) inventor mobility among Brazilian regions promotes regional innovation; (c) regional collaboration significantly contributes to regional innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Created by the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (SEBRAE) and developed in partnership with the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), the local innovation agents (LIA) programme aims to convey innovation to Brazilian micro and small businesses (MSBs) and has covered around 150 000 MSBs since 2008. Notwithstanding, assessments of the LIA programme are still limited. Therefore, this paper aims to assess the impact of the LIA programme based on a sample of over 6000 MSBs. Results show that all dimensions improved to some extent, but marketing and organizational‐related innovations improved more than product and process‐related ones. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Software process improvement implementation based on software process reference models and standards is a complex and long-term endeavor that requires investment of large sums of money. These obstacles usually hinder organizations from implementing software process improvement successfully, especially for small and medium-size enterprises that operate under strict financial resources. This paper describes the MPS.BR, a nationwide program for software process improvement in Brazilian organizations. The main goal of this initiative is to develop and disseminate a Brazilian software process model (named MPS Model) aiming to establish a feasible pathway for organizations to achieve benefits from implementing software process improvement at reasonable costs, especially small and medium-size enterprises. This paper presents the main components of the MPS Model and discusses the strategy executed to establish and maintain a community of MPS Model practitioners. The results of MPS Model adoption and dissemination in Brazilian software industry are also presented in this paper. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reaching decarbonization goals has become a top focus for several industrialized and emerging economies globally. The greatest effect of human behavior is global warming. Utilizing fiscal decentralization (FDST), export diversification (EDI), and environment‐related technological innovation (ERTI) may be necessary to address global pollution and accomplish environmental sustainability goals. Additionally, these strategies could aid various levels of government and nations in pursuing what they define as sustainable development. This study evaluates the combined benefits of FDST, EDI and ERTI in meeting the environmental sustainability goals of the Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) economies from 1970 to 2020. Using the augmented mean group method, the long‐run dynamic equilibrium between the chosen variables is examined. The findings demonstrate that while the adoption of ERTI and renewable energy (REC) benefits the environment, EDI, FDST, and economic growth exacerbate environmental deterioration. Our findings suggest that the BRICS countries should proceed cautiously when adopting FDST and EDI plans. The adoption of ERTI and REC should be promoted by the government to increase environmental sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technology transfer offices (TTO) were created with the mission of executing innovation policy and its technology transfer to industry. Most studies regarding TTO focus on the context of developed countries, so there is a lack of research on the subject in emerging economies, such as Brazil. In addition, the issue of how diverse the skills of the team of a given TTO should be for their best revenue performance is still little addressed. In this sense, the present study aims to identify which characteristics of the TTO, related to their human resources, influence obtaining revenue from the patents that constitute their portfolios. To achieve this objective, 272 TTO in Brazil were analysed with the help of the Logistic Regression technique, based on Maximum Likelihood Estimation. A remarkable conclusion that emerges from our results is that the universities to increase their revenue must invest in full‐time employees (e.g., rather than in scholarship students, as tends to be the norm) and foster the inventions' communications, as well as to attract and retain employees with skills directly related to knowledge fields such as Law, Engineering, and Communication (quite surprisingly, Management and Economics graduates are not included). The combination of these factors can increase the probabilities or odds of a given TTO obtaining revenue. Thus, our results contribute to TTO human resource practices, especially those in structuring stages, such as those in Brazil and Latin American countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to identify the effect of board diversity on environmental policy in Latin American companies. This research focuses on 11 industrial sectors in Brazil, Mexico, and Chile that took into consideration a broader extension of environmental policy, involving practices regarding resource use, emissions reduction, and innovation. Drawing on corporate governance (CG) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) relationships, a regression analysis was conducted with 1214 firm‐year observations from 181 companies. Our results indicate that the predominantly weak CG in Latin America might favour the use of manipulative environmental policy decisions. Board diversity does not have a relevant influence on CSR activities, as environmental issues are only taken into account so far as the cost of natural resources, while issues such as environmental innovation and reducing emission are not part of the agenda. In Brazil and Chile, independent directors have no significant effect on environmental policy decisions, while in Mexico, a less independent board grants managers greater discretion to establish an environmental policy, whereas in all three countries, board gender diversity has no significant effect. The theoretical insights drawn from this study reinforce that board composition, as an internal CG mechanism, is insufficient to overcome the institutional voids and give protagonist to sustainability issues in Latin America, reiterating the need for more robust CG mechanisms to coerce CSR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study seeks to answer the following research question: "What factors can explain the number of patent filing requests made by residents in Brazil at patent offices in Brazil, the United States, Europe, and triadic patent families?". The methods used in this research are quantitative, using big data from private and public investments in Science and Technology, and about patent deposit numbers in Brazil from 2000 to 2017. A model of linear regression was performed and explains how these investments in Science and Technology influence patent deposit numbers. The results of this research study point towards the importance of universities, up and beyond the traditional training and education aspect of university activity. The importance of public and private innovation investments is also shown to be important. This study shows that the patent registrations in the different regions under analysis are affected by different factors. There is thus no single formula towards the creation of innovation output and governments would do well to continue to invest in higher education while also investing in public research and development activities. Additionally, and not least important, private entities should be continually encouraged to make innovation investments and favourable government policies need to thus exist for this to happen. Finally, the low numbers regarding patent filings in Brazil may be linked to institutional deficiencies in the country. Patent breaches may be difficult to punish, and the judicial system may be slow and untrustworthy, compared to the United States and to Europe—leading to diminished patent registrations in Brazil. A set of implications and recommendations for policy derived from this study and will be strategic for policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of critical success factors (CSFs) on the innovativeness of the electronic industry. We propose a novel conceptual model. To validate the model, we used structural equation modelling. Data were collected in a survey with 261 responses from companies in Brazil, Canada and the USA. A multigroup analysis was carried out. The results for the whole sample show that all the CSF investigated have a positive and significant influence at 1% on innovativeness, with the greatest influence obtained by the construct innovative culture and strategy, followed by research and development infrastructure, management knowledge and the innovative environment. The originality lies (1) in a proposition of a novel theoretical model that investigates both the individual effect and joint action of the constructs related to CSF, in a broader set of CSF; (2) in a deeper analysis of the relationship between innovativeness with the innovation performance of organizations in the electronic industry; (3) in a different dimension of analysis comparison considering three different innovation systems; and (4) in a managerial contribution by encouraging the construction of an organizational culture that has as its values the constant search for innovation and for encouraging the creation of innovative solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article adopts a task‐based approach to analyse employment patterns in terms of skill distribution and occupations in the urban labour markets of Brazil, Colombia and Mexico during 2002–15. The results suggest that employment fell strongly for some medium‐skilled occupations, and increased slightly for both low‐skilled and high‐skilled occupations. Decomposition results suggest that the decreasing share of employment of secretaries and stenographers is fully explained by changes within industries (routinization hypothesis), whereas the decrease in machinery operation and handicraft jobs is mainly explained by changes between industries. By socio‐demographic group, technological changes negatively affected women but benefited younger workers and those with higher educational attainment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Recent academic works have shed light upon the motives and negotiation dynamics leading to the creation of the New Development Bank (NDB) and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). We know less about their day‐to‐day activities and if (and if so why) they are being innovative in the field of multilateral development lending. This article evaluates novelty in the two banks. It uncovers and suggests an explanation to the puzzle of why the NDB appears more innovative (in terms of institutional design, staffing, and lending policy guidelines) than the AIIB by exploring the cases of China and Brazil. The two countries played central roles in the set‐up of each the AIIB and NDB. Drawing on extensive field research, the article proposes that their preferences and capability to engage in institutional innovation depend on interests, status, economic power, and regulatory capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to discuss the Brazilian innovation environment. It addresses the challenges, promises, bottlenecks, and opportunities by examining the country's quest to bridge the innovation divide. In addition, it applies the main dimensions of the 'innovation diamond model' to assess how the country is faring in its journey toward competitiveness. The article analyzes Brazil's main innovation policies and agencies. Its companies and policymakers have recently understood that, without a dynamic and rich innovation environment, it will not be able to design long-term economic development strategies and engage in long-term sustainable growth. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article retraces the development of the Brazilian legal framework with regard to access and benefit sharing and the protection by patent of biotechnological innovations. It demonstrates that 20 years on from the adoption of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Brazil no longer has the same attitude or the same expectations with regard to its genetic resources. The control of the State over access procedures and restrictive regimes in terms of patents are increasingly out of step with the concerns of national researchers and companies alike, and are the target of both criticisms and reforms. The scientific community is seeking to acquire prerogatives for managing genetic heritage, while the State is seeking to strengthen the national biotechnology sector. How is the legal environment adjusting to new and sometimes contradictory issues?What is the new interplay between public and private rights when it comes to genetic resources and natural-based products? To what extent are "commons" systems emerging--both in terms of accessing biodiversity and in terms of protecting innovations? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT. Technological breakthroughs, macroeconomic pressures, and advances in economic thought have led to a redefinition of the role of the state from producer to arbiter among private interests. Still, the details of such a redefinition vary among countries. We aim to understand the reasons for such differences and draw their policy implications through a case study of the electricity industry in Brazil, China, and India. Over the past decade, these countries have sought to restructure their state-owned electric utilities. The restructuring effort has led to different outcomes in the three countries. We argue that ideology, institutional arrangements, and the behavior of interest groups lie at the heart of such differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]