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Therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) are biopharmaceuticals prescribed in oncology, rheumatology, and for other chronic and autoimmune diseases. Over the last decade, the demand for MAbs grew significantly in developing countries like Brazil, concomitant to the restructuring of the global biopharmaceutical industry, opening windows of opportunities for catching-up economies. This paper aims to analyze the capacity of a public policy, the so-called Production Development Partnership Program (PDPP), to encourage the generation of national capabilities to the local biopharmaceutical industry and technological upgrading in the biopharmaceutical sector in Brazil. It is a case study supported by qualitative data from twenty-three interviews. By focusing on technology transfer processes rather than on more complex strategies of technological learning and upgrading in domestic agents, the impact of PDPP has been marginal. We draw insights from this empirical appraisal to outline some lessons and challenges involved in the implementation of technology-upgrading policies in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this article is to assess a potential dual role of public expenditures in R&D upon economic growth and employment, using these dimensions as partial representations of the socioeconomic state of affairs in European Union’s Member States. First, we look into direct, short-term impacts arising from R&D expenditures, much in the sense of a multiplier effect. Second, we analyse impacts from the stage of development of National Innovation Systems (NIS) upon the macroeconomic conditions of interest, assuming that current stages of development are products of previous commitment to innovation, that is, a structural, long-term outcome of innovation-oriented investments. In order to empirically test our propositions, we have analysed 28 EU Member States (1990–2013) through three sets of econometric (static and dynamic panel data) models. Results highlight that EU countries’ governmental commitment to their respective innovation systems catalyses current and prospective economic growth and employment levels, suggesting a complementarity between Neo-Schumpeterian and Neo-Keynesian perceptions over governmental R&D involvement. This can bring innovation efforts closer to the macroeconomic debate on monetary and fiscal policies and function as a criticism to austerity measures, as this may not only affect the present socioeconomic situation, but also generate the cornerstone for a perennial state of divergence among EU Member States. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

El Mercado Común del Sur (MERCOSUR), mundialmente reconocido como una de las entidades de integración regional más avanzadas, atrae crecientemente a empresas multinacionales (EMN) y origina muchas inversiones en el exterior, pese a brechas persistentes en innovación y competitividad. Aquí se analizan las tendencias de internacionalización y tecnología en el MERCOSUR relativas al comercio, las actividades de EMN y los sistemas nacionales de innovación. Mediante el análisis empírico, basado en la estimación de modelos gravitacionales tradicionales, se comprueba el efecto de la inversión extranjera directa (IED) —desde el exterior y en el exterior— en las exportaciones, según su contenido tecnológico. La distribución del ingreso permite aproximar las características institucionales de los países integrantes y, por ello, se analiza su influencia como uno de los aspectos estructurales específicos. Los resultados confirman que las capacidades tecnológicas y de internacionalización —tanto de países inversores como receptores de IED— afectan al comercio dentro del bloque. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]