Working paper No. 271: Public Policy for Academic Entrepreneurship
Sandström, C., Wennberg, K., Wallin, M.W., & Zherlygina, Y. (2016). Public Policy for Academic Entrepreneurship. Ratio Working Paper No. 271. Stockholm: Ratio.
Sandström, C., Wennberg, K., Wallin, M.W., & Zherlygina, Y. (2016). Public Policy for Academic Entrepreneurship. Ratio Working Paper No. 271. Stockholm: Ratio.
This article provides a critical review and discussion of current literature on technology transfer and academic entrepreneurship. Drawing upon the notion of robustness in social systems and public choice theory, we review, code, and taxonomize 166 studies in order to assess the likelihood that these initiatives will generate innovation and economic growth. We find that academic entrepreneurship initiatives are characterized by conflicting goals, weak incentive structures for universities and academics, and are contextually dependent on several factors, e.g. strong vs. weak universities. Our results therefore suggest that there are critical boundary conditions that are unlikely to be fulfilled when universities and governments enact policies to support academic entrepreneurship. Policymakers therefore need to be cautious in the potential design of such mechanisms. We discuss how technology transfer from universities might be better achieved through alternative mechanisms such as contract research, licensing, consulting and increased labor mobility among researchers.
Sandström, C., Wennberg, K., Wallin, M.W., & Zherlygina, Y.
2016
Ratio Working Paper
2024
Stockholm: Ratio.
Den senaste utvecklingen inom Europeiska unionen (EU) signalerar en betydande rörelse mot hållbarhet och miljöskydd. Från 1990 till 2021 har EU-medlemsländernas utsläpp av växthusgaser minskat med 29 % samtidigt som den reala BNP:n ökat med 62 %, vilket visar på frånvaron av samband mellan ekonomisk tillväxt och utsläpp. Utsläppen har minskat i 24 av 27 medlemsländer. Sverige utmärker sig med de lägsta växthusgasutsläppen per BNP-enhet inom EU. Dessutom har konsumtionsbaserade CO2-utsläpp minskat med 27 %, en positiv trend som observerats i 22 av 27 medlemsländer. Trots att Tyskland, Frankrike, Italien och Polen står för en betydande del av de totala växthusgasutsläppen inom EU, fortsätter den generella trenden mot minskade utsläpp. Luftkvaliteten har också förbättrats, med en minskning i 25 av 26 kategorier av luftföroreningar sedan 1990, och nästan total eliminering av ozonnedbrytande ämnen. Dessa framsteg understryker effekten av EU:s miljöpolitik, och ger hopp om en mer hållbar framtid för Europa.
2024
Springer Cham.
This open access book raises some central questions: Do we need moonshot policies to spur innovation and economic growth? What are the risks associated with such policies?
Economic turbulence, the COVID-19 pandemic, and mounting environmental concerns have paved the way for a renaissance of targeted industrial policy. In particular, the idea that society should be organized around large missions is gaining momentum among high-income economies. However, the authors and editors of this volume contend that this shift has occurred without much critical examination, especially as the European Union has adopted these ideas, and Western economies are now increasingly organizing toward the achievement of large, state-formulated goals.
Recognizing the urgent need for continued scholarly attention to question notions of the mission economy, more than 20 scholars discuss the dangers of top-down/vertical approaches to industrial policy and draw attention to the progress of independent enterprise, entrepreneurialism, and market solutions in a sound economy and society. By critically examining mission-oriented innovation policies, using theoretical perspectives and empirical investigations, the book highlights both the mechanisms behind failed missions and alternative approaches. This is a must-read for policy researchers and policymakers alike.
2023
Working Paper No. 368.
This paper reviews theoretical rationales for mission-oriented innovation policy and provides an empirical overview of extant 28 papers and 49 cases on the topic. We synthetize varieties of mission formulations, actors involved, and characteristics of missions described as more or less failed or successful. 59 percent of the studied missions are still ongoing, 33 percent are considered successful and 8 percent as failures. 67 percent of the studied missions have taken place in Europe, 24 percent in North America and 8 percent in Asia. The majority of innovation projects referred to as missions do not fulfill the criteria defined by the OECD. Results suggest that missions related to technological or agricultural innovations are more often successful than broader types of missions aimed at social or ecological challenges. Challenges regarding the governance and evaluation of missions remain unresolved in the literature. We find no case that contains a cost-benefit analysis or takes opportunity cost into account.