Closing the Gap in Education and Technology

by de Ferranti, David; Perry, Guillermo E.; Gill, Indermit S.; Maloney, William F.; Sanchez-Paramo, Carolina; Guasch, Jose Luis; Schady, Norbert

• ISBN13: 9780821351727
• ISBN10: 0821351729
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-03-31
• Publisher: World Bank Publications

Summary

"The fundamental elements to unlocking the potential of technology to speed up economic growth in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are investing in education, opening up new technologies through foreign trade and investment, and encouraging private sector research and development.Closing the Gap in Education and Technology advises Latin American and Caribbean governments to address the region's deficits in skills and technology, and thereby boost productivity, ultimately improving growth prospects. To close this 'productivity gap' in the region, the report calls for a range of policy approaches and strategies, depending on a country's level of development. It identifies three progressive stages in a country's technological evolution ? adoption, adaptation, and creation ? and observes that policies should be designed to address the particular challenges that accompany each stage.In conclusion, Closing the Gap in Education and Technology argues that many countries in the Latin American and Caribbean region have been improving education and social risk management systems so that they are now ready to benefit from the rewards associated with creating stronger trade and technology ties with countries that are more technologically advanced."

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Abbreviations	xi
Introduction and Summary: Skills Upgrading and Innovation Policies	1	(22)
Productivity, Educational, and Technology Gaps in Latin America and the Caribbean	2	(5)
From Financing Gaps to Productivity Gaps: Closing the Gap in Education and Technology in a Synchronized Way	7	(2)
Students, Workers, and Firms: The Major Actors of Educational and Technological Progress	9	(1)
The Role of Government Policy	10	(1)
The Critical Importance of Effective Innovation Networks	10	(2)
Closing the Skill Gaps	12	(3)
Closing the Technology and Productivity Gaps	15	(5)
Summing Up	20	(1)
Endnotes	21	(2)
The Gaps That Matter Most	23	(26)
The Productivity Gap	23	(1)
The Skill Gap	24	(8)
The Technology Gap	32	(8)
Conclusion: Benchmarking Latin American Performance	40	(6)
Endnotes	46	(3)
How Technology and Skills Interact: The Evidence for Latin America and the Caribbean	49	(26)
The Rising Demand for Skilled Workers in Latin America	49	(6)
Skill-Biased Technological Change in Latin America	55	(8)
The Relationship between Technology Transfer, the Rising Demand for Skills in Latin America, and Patterns of Integration into the Global Economy	63	(4)
The Level of Skill in a Country Is an Important Determinant of Technology Transferred from Abroad	67	(3)
Long-Term Cycles in the Demand for Skilled Workers and Technology?	70	(2)
Conclusion	72	(1)
Endnotes	72	(3)
Closing the Skills Gap: Education Policies	75	(34)
Educational Transitions: The How	76	(4)
Educational Transitions: The (Uncertain) Why	80	(6)
Educational Transitions: Policy Implications	86	(1)
Understanding the Education Market: Secondary School	86	(9)
Understanding the Education Market: Universities	95	(9)
Conclusion: Priorities for Education Upgrading in Latin America	104	(2)
Endnotes	106	(3)
Closing the Skills Gap: Training Policies	109	(24)
Vocational Education and Training Systems in Latin America	110	(7)
How Employers View Training	117	(3)
Correlates of In-Service Training: Evidence from Mexico	120	(5)
Policies to Promote Training	125	(5)
Summary	130	(1)
Endnotes	131	(2)
Technological Transitions and Elements of Technology Policy	133	(36)
Rationale for Government Action: Market and Coordination Failures	134	(1)
Developing Technological Capabilities	135	(3)
Policies for the First Stage of Transition: Spillovers, Diffusion Mechanisms, and Incipient and Selective R&D	138	(6)
LAC's Performance	144	(7)
Advanced Technological Transition: R&D as the Key Driver	151	(10)
The Structure of R&D in LAC	161	(6)
Conclusion	167	(1)
Endnotes	168	(1)
Networks and National Innovation Systems	169	(34)
National Innovations Systems: Coherence and Incentives	170	(3)
Benchmarking the LAC NIS	173	(1)
Indicators of Innovation Outcomes	173	(5)
Efficiency of Use of Resources and Collaboration	178	(2)
University/Research Center/Firm Linkages: The Core of the NIS	180	(7)
Policies to Improve Collaboration	187	(3)
Policies to Foment Interfirm Collaboration in Innovation	190	(2)
Science Parks and Incubators in LAC	192	(2)
International Networks	194	(4)
Conclusion	198	(2)
Annex	200	(2)
Endnotes	202	(1)
Bibliography	203