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Week of August 27 - September 2, 2007 |
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Reverse Brain-Drain Threatens Competitiveness
While towns throughout the
US are doing everything they can to keep bright young minds home, it
seems the country as a whole is sending them away in droves. More than
one million skilled immigrant workers are competing for 120,000
permanent US resident visas each year, creating a sizeable imbalance
likely to fuel a “reverse brain-drain” with skilled workers returning to
their home country, according to a new report released by the Ewing
Marion Kauffman Foundation. The group contributes significantly to the
innovation process as foreign nationals residing in the United States
were named as inventors or co-inventors in 25.6 percent of international
patent applications filed from the United States in 2006. This
represents an increase from 7.6 percent in 1998. In addition, forty-one
percent of the patents filed by the U.S. government had foreign
nationals as inventors or co-inventors. Conducted by researchers at Duke
University, New York University and Harvard University, the study is the
third in a series of studies focusing on immigrants’ contributions to
the competitiveness of the U.S. economy. |
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The Business Value of Intellectual Property
A new study finds that
two-thirds of the value of American large manufacturers comes from
intellectual property, mainly in the form of patents and trademarks. The
study, Economic Effects of Intellectual Property - Intensive
Manufacturing in the US, by Robert Shapiro and Nam Pham, finds that
IP-intensive firms greatly outperform their counterparts. IP-intensive
manufacturing industries produce more value per employee and pay higher
wages. While these manufacturers do have advantages, they have seen job
losses similar to those of non-IP-intensive manufacturers.
Pharmaceutical manufacturing employment, which grew eight percent
between 2000 and 2004, serves as the sole exception to this pattern. The
report concludes by recommending that policymakers do a better job of
protecting US-based IP as these assets represent a critical competitive
advantage for American manufacturers. |
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A Woman’s Place is . . . in San Francisco?
A new American Business
Journals’ study assesses the best local and regional markets for women
entrepreneurs and the San Francisco-Oakland metro area tops the list.
The study used a nine-part measurement system that assesses the number
of women business owners, female workforce participation, local
educational levels, networking opportunities, and other factors. San
Francisco-Oakland was the clear No. 1, but other high performers include
Washington DC, New York, and Los Angeles. Ogden, Utah, brings up the
bottom as the least friendly locale for women entrepreneurs. |
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The state of Oregon has
recently adopted an interesting plan designed to boost innovation. The
new Oregon Innovation Plan focuses on supporting place-based innovation
capacity. It proposes to spend roughly $38 million to support
initiatives in three areas: enhancing the competitiveness of existing
industry, improving technology commercialization, and increasing the
state’s overall capacity for innovation. Among the Plan’s specific
recommendations are the creation of new angel networks across Oregon;
the opening of new research centers for wave energy technology,
nanotechnology, and drug discovery; and extensive new efforts to support
existing firms in the manufacturing, food production, and seafood
industries. |
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A new study from the
National Association of Manufacturers’ Center for Workforce Success
presents a how-to guide for how businesses can find and train a skilled
workforce in today’s tight labor markets. The report recommends that
small and medium-sized manufacturers become more engaged in sector
initiatives, i.e. partnerships of employers, training providers and
other stakeholders who collaborate to support the training needs of key
industries and its workforce. By participating in these wider sector
initiatives, smaller manufacturers can access a better quality workforce
and tap into a wider range of training options for their employees. The
guide offers lots of useful tips for employers, and also includes
detailed case studies from initiatives in Cleveland and Chicago. |
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Small Business and Sustainable Development
Small and medium-sized
enterprises can play an essential role in promoting sustainable
development in developing economies. These firms offer many critical
advantages. They offer a large base of employment, can serve as
important local partners for larger firms, and can serve as a major
source of new innovations. Yet, as a new World Business Council for
Sustainable Development study notes, these firms are often not fully
engaged in local efforts to promote sustainable development. They are
hamstrung by poor infrastructure, excessive bureaucracy, and an absence
of resources to help firms move “to the next level.” The report notes
that a strong SME sector can provide a stronger base for promoting
sustainable development, but it also recognizes that these developments
will not occur on their own. Multinational corporations and governments
need to do more to support and nurture local SMEs through more local
contracting, building a more friendly regulatory environment, and
improving access to financial services. In the end, good SME policy will
help produce good sustainable outcomes.
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The National Dialogue on Entrepreneurship is an initiative of the Public Forum Institute made possible by a grant from the Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City. Through NDE-news, we bring you short summaries and analyses of various trends driving entrepreneurship around the world. Subscribe now to receive your weekly copy. Archived issues are available online. |
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National Dialogue on Entrepreneurship
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All
stories © 2007 The Public Forum Institute
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