UNU-MERIT Working Papers Series
Catching up in the 21st century: Globalization, knowledge & capabilities in Latin America, a case for natural resource based activities
Michiko Iizuka & Luc Soete #2011-071The nature of the catching-up process has changed substantially at both
the global and local levels over the last decade. The catching up
process can no longer be disentangled from the rapid
internationalization of science and technology and the globalization of
innovation, in which the developing countries have an increasingly
important role to play. In the first section, we focus on setting the
global scene within which the catching up process operates today. In a
second section we study the increasing complexity in the knowledge
creation process caused by this dynamic interaction between the global
and local levels. We then introduce the relevant types of capacities and
explain why different capabilities are required in specific situations,
times and locations. In section four, we place these theoretical
discussions in a Latin American context to understand catching up
opportunities from a regional perspective, focusing on activities based
on natural resources.
Key words: Catching up, Globalization, Knowledge, Capabilities, Natural
Resources, Latin America.
JEL code: O24, O5, Q00
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