shown that academics are essentially motivated by learning opportunities, fundraising and satisfaction derived from puzzle solving in research activities, our paper provides evidence of the positive role of an additional motivation for both the breadth and depth of KT: the extent to which the academic scientist advances the societal role of universities ("mission" motivation). We find that both "funding" and "mission" motivations have a positive effect on the variety and intensity of KT activities, with little effect for learning opportunities. Our results show also a higher effect of "funding" and "mission" on the depth of KT activities compared to their breadth.

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A large body of researches in recent years resulted in the growth of knowledge about better or worse management practices. However, comparative research using firm-level data has been limited by the different styles on management and by the unavailability of homogeneous data sources, especially in former transition and Asian countries. This study fills this gap, by using the firm-level survey by EBRD and World Bank (BEEPS V-MENA ES, 2012-2014) and by looking at the determinants of a Management quality score (MQS) for more than 17.000 firms in 36 countries of Central Asia, Eastern Europe and Northern Africa. We find that both country and firm characteristics matter for managerial skills but the ladder weight differently. In fact, the country-grouping changes, accelerates or dampens the impact of firms’ characteristics on management performance and identifies the channels conducive of better managerial practices. Competition, education, and technology are important channels for the high-income countries only, whereas global value chain participation and ownership are significant channels for the low-income countries only. In particular, GVC participation enhances significantly managerial practices of firms in low-income countries especially for the lower quartile firms. Hence, this study provides empirical support for interplay between country and firm characteristics in transitional and emerging markets. In addition, it provides support for an enhanced connection between business environment reforms devoted to managerial upgrading and industrial policy devoted to enhancing best-performing firms’ characteristics. As such, it suggests that only their complementary and targeted use can support management and business practices upgrading.

In a context of scarce resources, exacerbated by the economic crisis, financing investment and structural changes in slowly growing economies, such as Italy, is very challenging. It becomes fundamental to engage in evaluation exercises in order to understand what policies are working and for whom. The paper offers an evaluation exercise on the major instruments used to promote R&D and innovation activities of Italian firms. We concentrate in particular on the incentives provided by Law 46/82 (and revisions) and we look at the effects they have on firms expenditures on R&D and on new employment generation. Unlike previous studies, we consider the effects of such incentives also when other similar policies are at work. We also look at the effects for different subgroups of firms. Results suggest that a rethinking of the system of incentives would be appropriate to limit an inefficient overlapping of instruments. They also highlight that the additionality of R&D investment is verified for some categories of firms. Starting from these results, further and continuous research is needed on this subject, in order to build a robust set of evidence to inform the policy making process.

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