Title: Technology-specific absorptive capacities for green technologies in Newly Industrialising Countries

Authors: Rainer Walz, Frank Marscheider-Weidemann

Addresses: Competence Center Sustainability and Infrastructure Systems, Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research, Breslauerstr. 48, D-76139 Karlsruhe, Germany. ' Competence Center Sustainability and Infrastructure Systems, Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research, Breslauerstr. 48, D-76139 Karlsruhe, Germany

Abstract: Technological competences in the sustainability fields are a key indicator for the absorptive capacity of sustainability technologies and for the ability to export them. International publications, transnational patents and successes in foreign trade indicate to what extent a country is already able to participate in global technology markets. The analysed NICs can be grouped into four country clusters with different levels of absorptive capacities for green technologies. The resulting pattern shows various strengths and weaknesses of the analysed countries. There is a strong need for strategic positioning of the countries and for coordination of the various policy fields involved.

Keywords: sustainability; green technologies; absorptive capacity; patents; trade patterns; NIC; newly industrialising countries; technology competences; environmental technologies; international publications; transnational patents; foreign trade; strategic positioning; coordination.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTG.2011.039765

International Journal of Technology and Globalisation, 2011 Vol.5 No.3/4, pp.212 - 229

Published online: 18 Apr 2011 *

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