Technology and innovation play an increasingly important role in the economic development of both developed and developing countries. We investigate how policy and market factors influence firms’ (or other potential innovators’) decisions on innovation or imitation by developing a conceptual...

Colonial agricultural research was directed mainly to. export crops rather than the major foodgrains.2 The lack of research on foodgrains is given as one of the reasons for the food shortages in the period after World War II. "Colonialism stunted indigenous agriculture by directing agricultural...

The overall goal of this study is to determine the extent by which genetically engineered (GE) crops in China can lead to reductions of pesticide use, the nature and source of the reductions, and whether or not there are any non-pecuniary externalities. One of the first studies of the effect of...

There has been considerable debate but little empirical analysis among academics, policy makers, and civil society about whether intellectual property rights would induce private research in developing countries. China passed its plant variety protection act (PVPA) in 1997 which allowed us to do...

The ag-biotech industry underwent considerable consolidation in the last decade in part to take advantage of economics of scale and scope. The paper investigates the impact of such consolidation on inventive activity at the firm level. Careful attention is paid to the role of firm size,...

Consumer attitudes towards genetically modified foods (GMFs) play a crucial role in the development of the technology. Both government and food manufacturers of agricultural products in the US and China are optimistic about the potential market for these foods. This paper compares two national...

Consolidations and spin-offs in the agricultural biotechnology industry and the growing links of multinational corporations with the food and feed industry have been the subject of considerable discussion among academics, policy makers, consumers, and farmers. Most of the research by academic...

Private R&D is a major source of innovation and productivity growth in agriculture worldwide. This paper examines trends and determinants of agricultural R&D in China. Results show that while the public sector monopolized agricultural research until recently, private agricultural R&D has grown...

This report reviews the impacts of the Asian Maize Biotechnology Network (AMBIONET), organized by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) with funding from the Asian Development Bank to strengthen the capacity of public maize research institutions in China, India,...