Ibolya Török (p), József Benedek, Valer Veres

Alexander Blandon Lopez

The transition from a planned to a market economy after the 1990s has lead to the reorientation of the country towards western economies. The main impact of this openness was the improvement of social and macro-economic conditions as well as the rapid economic growth. By the end of 2000, Romania was characterized as one of the fastest growing economies among EU members states: the catching up process also being illustrated by the share of GDP per capita (PPP) in EU 27. This rapid growth and convergence process has also lead to a different pattern of inner polarization and the emergence of core-periphery structures. In this paper, we test whether there is a social or economic convergence process towards a homogenous stable state/economy or rather the emergence of several groups of settlements and regions with different growth evolution. In order to depict the social and economic convergence of the analysed territorial units we have applied a four step econometric models. First, we have applied one of the most commonly used methods for estimating convergence, namely the σ and β-convergence statistics, also considering the spatial econometrics estimation method in order to test the existence of spatial dependence. In order to point out that several territorial units tend to show a homogenous growth/development path or form clubs of convergence, we have applied the log t convergence approach developed by Phillip and Sul (2007). The results suggest that economic indicators (GDP/capita, income/capita) tend to diverge, while social indicators (infant mortality rate, life expectancy of birth, gross school enrolment) have a tendency to converge. Further on, the analysis also shows that the formation of convergence clubs is stronger in the middle/average- and least developed regions, the well-developed ones usually having unique development paths.

Sarah Ferreira (p), Renato Garcia, Veneziano Araujo

Ibolya Török

Academia and industry have different norms and incentives to participate in the innovative process which reflects in different focuses and specializations. Considering the growing importance of university patents in great number of countries, we use a Regional Knowledge Production Function to analyze, not only patents as a whole, but to evaluate industrial and university patents separately for Brazil from 1998 to 2018 using a spatial panel for 133 regions. This work aims to define the role played by the different determinants cited in the literature on university and industrial patenting of innovation in developing countries with a broader and more recent panel using a hierarchical-functional regional cut. Our results include differences between academic and industrial innovations regarding R&D efforts, urban agglomeration and network connections. Also, we find a great source of heterogeneity and differences in innovation, like complementary technological profile. Moreover, we find specificities for the North and South regions of Brazil regarding innovation patterns and explore heterogeneity of patent data for international patents (PTC), co-invented patents and utility models. These results are important to understand the real effect of each type of patent, helping to direct public innovation policies specific to develop industries and university knowledge in peripheral regions.

Roberto Martino (p)

Sarah Ferreira

This paper estimates an augmented growth model to analyse the contribution of public investment to productivity growth for European regions. The empirical model accounts for the accumulation of public capital, the stock of infrastructure and the creation of public knowledge, alongside other growth determinants, as institutions, education, and business R&D. Findings suggest that public investment is positively associated with productivity growth and complementarities with business investment are in place. Returns on both types of investments are larger in the regions of the Southern periphery, flagging policy space for further productive spending. Public R&D has an indirect impact on productivity growth through the mediating effect of business R&D, while institutional quality is a horizontal determinant of growth.

Alexander Blandon Lopez (p), Janeth Gonzalez Rubio, John Alexander Blandon Castaño

Roberto Martino

The value chain of specialty coffees is framed within the seven productive bets that the department of Tolima has for its export offer to countries such as the United States, Belgium, Canada, Germany, and Japan. This research was oriented towards determining the incidence of productive insertion in the global value chain of specialty coffees on the social inclusion of small agricultural producers in the department of Tolima. The population corresponded to 146 specialty coffee producing associations located in 22 municipalities of the department of Tolima, from which a stratified sample of 59 was determined by optimal allocation. It corresponds to a quantitative study and was developed through descriptive statistics, a variable association or correlational analysis and statistical modeling to accept or reject the hypothesis.

It was established that the specialty coffee sector in Tolima faces limitations in terms of physical transportation infrastructure, education, knowledge of a second language, access to credit and social security. A condition for their competitiveness is the insertion in niches that imply a higher price and reduce the number of intermediaries. It is concluded that entering international markets by itself does not guarantee an improvement in the living conditions of small agricultural producers, but rather that integration must be based on a governance structure that promotes trusting relationships with global buyers and promote the social upgrading of producers in long-term cooperation schemes.