Technological progress is considered a key factor for sustained long-term economic growth and job creation. This book uses econometric and in-depth case study analyses from Lesotho, Mauritius, Namibia, and South Africa to investigate channels of technology transfer and absorption for southern African enterprises, constraints to greater technology absorption, and policy options for governments and the private sector. The study finds that the four southern African countries, while open to the technology absorption channels of trade and foreign direct investment (FDI), face constraints that inhibit them from maximizing the economic benefits of technology absorption. These constraints include mismatched skills, insufficient research and development, and ineffective industry–research links. Fostering Technology Absozrption in Southern African Enterprises lays out priority areas for each of the four countries by outlining broad policy directions in four areas: increasing skills supply, fostering learning through trade, increasing domestic spillovers from FDI, and providing incentives to firms for research and development.
ISBN 978-0-8213-8818-1
SKU 18818