Today’s middle-income countries tend to be locked in a middle-income trap, unable to transition to higher income levels due to rising costs and declining competitiveness. While there is a broad consensus that upgrading these economies towards innovation-led growth is imperative, countless institutional and political economy obstacles remain. This book brings together analytical perspectives from comparative political economy, innovation studies, and development economics for the study of technological upgrading. Its distinctive contribution is the development of an innovative theoretical framework, named upgrading regimes, combining and extending the comparative capitalism and innovation system perspectives. It explores the usefulness of this approach by providing an indepth assessment of the political economy of upgrading in Brazil under the Workers’ Party governments. As the politics of technological upgrading will be one of the crucial research areas in the years to come, this book promises to become a key reference point in this debate.
Author(s): Michael Schedelik
Series: International Political Economy Series
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 296
City: London
Acknowledgments
Praise for The Political Economy of Upgrading Regimes: Brazil and beyond
Contents
Abbreviations
List of Figures
List of Tables
Part I Theory and Frames
1 The Quest for Technological Upgrading in Emerging Economies
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Research Gap
1.3 Competing Perspectives
1.4 The Theoretical Argument
1.5 Contributions to the Literature
1.6 Plan of the Book
References
2 Theoretical Framework: The Political Economy of Upgrading Regimes
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Innovation Systems
2.3 Comparative Capitalism
2.4 Towards a Combined Approach to Technological Upgrading
2.5 Conclusion
References
Part II Technological Upgrading in Brazil: Achievements and Challenges
3 Evidence on Innovation Capacity Building
3.1 Introduction
3.2 General Analysis
3.3 Sectoral Analysis
3.4 Firm-Level Analysis
3.5 Conclusion
References
4 Political Coordination and Socioeconomic Coalitions
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Institutions and Policies for Innovation: An Overview
4.3 Political Coalition Dynamics
4.4 State–Business Relations
4.5 State–Society Relations
4.6 Dominant Social Bloc in Brazil, 2003–2016
4.7 Conclusion
References
5 Research and Development and Competition Policy
5.1 Introduction
5.2 The R&D Regime
5.3 Competition Policy and Market Structure
5.4 Major R&D Tax Incentive Schemes and Their Effects
5.5 Conclusion
References
6 Finance
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Main Characteristics of the Financial System
6.3 Credit and Equity Markets
6.4 Subsidized Credit Lines for Innovation and Their Effects
6.5 Conclusion
References
7 Education, Training, and Labor
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Education and Training
7.3 Labor Relations
7.4 Labor Market
7.5 Conclusion
References
8 International Integration
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Trade Regime
8.3 Investment Regime
8.4 Conclusion
References
9 Macroeconomic Management and Domestic Demand
9.1 Introduction
9.2 Monetary and Exchange Rate Regime
9.3 Fiscal Regime
9.4 Social Policy as Demand Management
9.5 Conclusion
References
Part III Comparative Perspectives
10 Complementarities and Comparisons
10.1 Introduction
10.2 Institutional Complementarities
10.3 Brazil in Comparative Perspective
10.4 Conclusion
References
11 Conclusions
11.1 Introduction
11.2 Technological Upgrading in Brazil: The Main Findings
11.3 Empirical and Theoretical Research Implications
11.4 Economic Policy Implications
References
Appendix: Interviews
Index
