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Innovation-related activities have undergone steady internationalization in recent years. Host economies now need to offer a favourable environment to companies in which to develop their innovationrelated activities. This paper presents an econometric study of the locational criteria of innovation-related activities. The results show the importance of market size, agglomeration effects, and, to a lesser extent, the quality of public governance, to the location of international activities in innovation-related activities. The overall degree of a country's openness to foreign direct investment also appears to be a significant locational determinant. The results give insights on the locational strategies of transnational corporations in various industries and across differing types of economy., 1. Introduction This study sets out new evidence on the international locational criteria of innovation-related activities, derived econometrically using the OECD databases on foreign presence in the host economy at [...]

The French Planning Commission (Commissariat General du Plan - CGP) is a small, flexible and open-ended structure, which, in addition to drawing up the plan, is responsible for analysing structural problems, proposing solutions, and, where appropriate, advising the government on implementing those proposals. The number of areas in which French planning intervenes has steadily grown while the nature of the problems tackled has evolved in line with the challenges faced by French society. This has resulted in adaptation of the instruments and methods used. After more than 40 years of practical experience, the assessment of French planning is a mixed one. On the one hand, the recommendations included in the 'plan' have become less precise and operational, while the Planning Commission as an institution has been 'sidelined' to a certain degree in government decision-making circuits. On the other hand, the Planning Commission has played a decisive role in spreading new ideas and modernizing people's outlooks. The French approach of 'planning through dialogue' thus has a future in a country where the need for evaluation, coordination and consultation is as great as it has always been, with the aim of effectively guiding government action in the medium term. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)