Competitiveness, Productivity and Externalization: Food versus Autos in Catalonia

Abstract

This paper re-examines the innovation-productivity nexus on the basis of a paired comparison between Catalonia's food and auto sectors. The sectoral studies expose a set of productivity enhancement mechanisms that do not involve innovation in the sense of anything new to the world, that are grouped under the rubric of renovation and comprise: - Reaching efficient scale - Rectifying (other) obvious internal deficiencies - Replicating or imitating innovations, techniques, etc., developed by others - Replacement of inefficient incumbents by more efficient entrants - Redeployment of resources across sectors The paper also discusses the implications of this broader perspective for industrial policy, and for internationalization.