Sectoral patterns of innovation in a developing country: The Tunisian case

We analyze in this article main determinants of technology dynamics in Tunisian manufacturing sectors. The data from the industrial survey provided by Ministry of Scientific Research, Technology and Competency Development (MSRTCD) for the period 2002-2004 is explored using regression trees and Probit models in order to discover main factors that favor the innovative capacity of Tunisian firms. Our results show that we must distinguish process and product innovations because they are driven by different mechanisms. Moreover, we observe that sectoral heterogeneity should not be neglected and we study more in detail fours sectors that are particularly well represented in our sample. This analysis allows us to suggest some differentiated policy indications for fostering innovative capacity in these sectors.