This dissertation explores the conditions and the extent to which innovations, by both users and by firms, can originate in developing countries and diffuse to the rest of the world. The primary setting for these studies is the mobile financial services industry. Additionally, this dissertation looks at the overall significance of user innovation at the country level in order to discern drivers of user innovation diffusion. Finally, it investigates implications for innovation policy. These topics are addressed in three studies. The first study examines two main research questions. First, to what extent can users play a role in innovation in developing countries? Second, what is the global relevance and diffusion of innovations that originate in developing countries? This study finds that users pioneered over half of mobile financial services and that 85% of the services originated in developing countries. A comparison between all innovations in this industry shows that user innovations diffuse at more than double the rate of firm innovations. Additionally, three-quarters of the innovations that originated in developing countries diffused to OECD countries. This study also proposes a new methodology to analyze the sources of service innovations, which can be used in future research. The second study tries to answer the following research question: Under what conditions can industries emerge in the economic ‘South’? In addition, what firms are successful at entering in the South? This study uses a hand-collected dataset from the mobile financial services industry. We find that latent demand is an important driver for firm entry in developing countries, as is market share. Furthermore, previous entry in the industry leads to industry-specific knowledge accumulation, which spills over within firms and increases the likelihood of subsequent entry into other countries. The third study examines the characteristics of diffusion of user innovations using data from a large-scale national survey conducted in Portugal. It looks at differences between market and non-market channels of diffusion for professional-user innovators as well as end-user innovators. The main findings are that although most user innovators are willing to share their innovations for free, they do not actively inform other people about their solutions, which negatively affects diffusion. Furthermore, this research concludes that professional-user innovators are significantly more likely to protect their intellectual property than end-user innovators, which increases the likelihood of commercialization of the innovation.

Agricultural producers and consumers are experiencing a communication disconnect as the population shifts from rural to urban societies. It is critical to assess producer and consumer perspectives to create a functional agricultural environment. The purpose of this study was to describe the consumer market and the farming industry environments in Trinidad and Tobago through consumers’ perceptions of their produce, a comparison of student and consumer perceptions of their produce, and agricultural professionals’ perceptions of the industry environment. Quantitative and qualitative research methods were used to complete this study. The study of consumers’ perceptions of their produce provided a quantitative description of attitudes held about produce origin and growing methods and their effect on pricing. An instrument was developed to measure the three constructs. Data were collected in farmers markets. Descriptive statistics were used for reporting consumer perceptions and demographics. The results of this study suggest that consumers are supportive of local, organically grown produce for their health and environmental benefits. A second study described students’ perceptions of their produce in comparison with consumers’ perceptions. The Culture and Consumer Behavior Interaction Model of Luna and Gupta provided the framework to explore the effects of cultural values and market communications on consumer behavior. Data were collected from university students using a questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used for reporting student perceptions and demographics; the data were compared with the consumer data from the first study. The results of this study suggest students and consumers have different cultural values and access to marketing communication and, therefore, behave differently when purchasing produce. The third study was a qualitative case study exploring agricultural industry professionals’ perceptions of the industry environment. Rogers’ theory of diffusion provided the framework to explore information access for producers in Trinidad and Tobago. Data were collected through interviews. Crop production methods, sources of information, and perceived needs to improve the industry emerged as themes. The results suggest the need for a standardized definition of organic growing methods, a centralized location of information and training materials, governmental support and public recognition of agriculture efforts, and career potential for youth interested in the farming industry.

This study investigates the indicators of the number of ATMs (automated teller machines) in the provinces of Turkey by examining two banks: T.C. Ziraat Bankasi and T. iS Bankasi. The study depends on annual panel data from 1990 to 2004 for seventy-three provinces of Turkey. The information about the number of ATMs of the two banks is gathered after a study in the archives of the banks. In this study it is concluded that the number of ATMs of T. iS Bankasi and T. C. Ziraat Bankasi in the previous year and the total number of branches of the banks in Turkey are the indicators of ATM adoption for both of the banks concerned. However, population has a negative sign for T. C. Ziraat Bankasi which is a state bank whereas it has a positive sign for T. iS Bankasi which is a quasi-private bank. The findings also indicate that the ATM number of T. iS Bankasi is more sensitive to the number of total bank branches.

This thesis has focused on understanding why m-banking as an innovative banking service have not been accepted and used widely in Bangladesh. The study was conducted upon students who are usually tech-savvy and to comprehend the problem from their perspective. An in-depth literature review was done upon many similar and related topics. 2 research questions were developed and a qualitative approach was taken containing two different methods – semi-structured interviews and focus groups, to explore the reasons why m-banking have been resisted by Bangladeshi students. The results showed concepts/factors ranging from internal competition to lack of legal framework to security issues to inability of minor payments etc. Total of 15 participants were involved in the thesis and an extensive data collection and analysis was conducted to come up with concepts/factors which answered the research questions. The thesis then moved forward to discuss the findings, stating implications, limitations and encouraging potential future research.

In a world recently declared urban, each day technology plays a more important role in society. A majority of people seem to believe in technology not only for solving everyday problems and for supporting the current production and economic systems, but also for the redress of environmental problems that are caused to a large extent by the same technology that has driven society to the current standards. In this direction, megacities (i.e. cities with more than ten million inhabitants) represent a valuable example of both the problems caused by high urbanization rates and the possibility of solving them using technology. However, the mere development of technology does not guarantee its immediate adoption and successful implementation by a given society. In this thesis, one of the largest megacities in the world (i.e. in terms of population) was chosen as a case study for the analysis of the adoption and diffusion of environmental technology. Mexico City is studied through a set of interviews with local stakeholders from academia, government, industry and other external organizations such as non-profit organizations and international institutions. This approach resulted in the identification of different obstacles to the adoption and implementation of technologies, but also led to a successful case of technology adoption that allowed for the understanding of important traits that facilitated not only such adoption, but also the subsequent diffusion and spread to other cities. Although the thesis has a strong focus on the demand side (in this case Mexico City), the supply side (in this case the Swedish environmental technology sector) is also considered and analyzed. By using statistical data of common enterprise and economic nature, the composition of the sector was described and analyzed with the intention to identify important areas and behavioral traits that could give insight into the hindrances that the sector faces when exporting its offerings. Given the interest that the Swedish government has put in the sector for contributing to the country’s economic growth, the different studies commissioned for the assessment of the sector are also discussed in this thesis. The different conclusions and suggestions made by the different agencies entrusted with this task are shown and analyzed. Conclusions are drawn regarding the need for designing strategies that consider local conditions, that are flexible and adaptive to a highly dynamic environment and that pay particular attention to the development of strong demonstration projects that facilitate overcoming the distrust normally created when new technologies are introduced in a society. / Megatech

<p>It is widely recognized that a requisite aspect of addressing climate goals is to develop a more sustainable transportation sector. One initiative towards this is the federal administration’s stated goal that 50% of all new vehicle sales will be electric by the year 2030. However, it is a common consensus that this will not occur without significant changes in electric vehicle (EV) adoption trends. In order to meet this goal and significantly diminish transportation greenhouse gas emissions, it is critical to better understand EV adoption at scale. To do this, we must understand at the system level what the progression of adoption will look like and what factors influence that adoption.</p> <p>This problem requires a more granular analysis than has been previously performed. We analyze adoption at the ZIP code level in four US states (CA, CO, NY, WA) with historical data dating to 2011. To understand the progression of adoption, we consider two adoption models (the logistic model and the Bass model) to forecast future EV levels in ZIP codes. We find that the logistic is better for the data that is currently publicly available.</p> <p>We additionally find that EV forecasts must be decomposed into both battery electric vehicle (BEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) forecasts. There is sufficient evidence that the adoption processes for these two types of EVs differ.</p> <p>Critically, we extend this analysis to consider the factors influencing adoption. Utilizing the adoption forecasts, we perform spatial regression analyses on the parameters that define the forecast shapes. We examine how multiple sociodemographic, land use, and charging measures correlate with the rate of EV adoption and the lateral shift of early EV adoption.</p> <p>Crucially, we find that multiple measures of charging infrastructure availability correspond with increased adoption; of these, a variation on the distance to fast-charging stations is the most consistent metric across final models. We additionally find that land use type is indeed relevant to adoption. Finally, we are able to corroborate at a granular spatial level numerous sociodemographic variables from the literature.</p> <p>Ultimately, this research can provide valuable insights into adoption trends at a local level and what factors may be best leveraged to promote adoption.</p>

Coffee is an important commodity being traded daily on major commodity trade exchanges in London and New York. Meanwhile, in emerging markets like Brazil, Vietnam, and Colombia, coffee is a major source of revenue, with exports of coffee accounting for, in some cases, over 80% of foreign exchange earnings . As the fourth largest exporter of coffee beans in the world, Indonesia holds a strong opportunity to be a prominent coffee player in the world, not only by exporting raw material to developed countries but also by performing solemn roles in coffee global marketing strategies. Sadly, from preliminary research that I conducted before, I found out that the knowledge level of most Indonesian coffee farmers, particularly in coffee processing techniques, is relatively beyond par. How can Indonesia become a respected global player in coffee industry if the farmers do not simply know how to roast and grind their coffee? Coffee does not only affect world economy. In fact, it touches social cultural aspect in globalization, diffusion of innovations and technology, agricultural sustainability, and human empowerment among coffee farmers. Based on those above notions, I decided to commence on a particular study of a Motramed (Mediated Partnership Model) program, designed and implemented by ICCRI (Indonesian Coffee and Cacao Research Institute), to specialty coffee farmers in Bondowoso, East Java, Indonesia. Over several weeks that I spent in Jember, in ICCRI headquarter, I met directly with ICCRI researchers who are in charge for Motramed development program under Dr. Surip Mawardi’s supervision, respective Motramed farmers in Bondowoso, East Java and Motramed’s social actors. We engaged in an intense dialogue and qualitative interviews regarding Motramed program and its implications towards social, economy, and behavioral change. The study result was tremendously proliferated by myself observation of exploratory study which through that process, I found significant relations between ground theories of development and their field practice.

Artificial intelligence is one of the main technologies driving what is predicted to be the greatest revolution of human history and is seen as a new general purpose technology. This study aims to examine the role of governmental authorities in the diffusion of AI technology and how cultural aspect may influence. South Korea has been leading innovation indexes the past years, making it of great interest to analyze the strategy and measures taken by the South Korean government to spread AI technology. This study focuses on the diffusion amongst small- and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and the AI Voucher Program in specific. A qualitative interview study was performed, where the aim was to develop an understanding of opinions on the authorities’ work from the SMEs point of view. The study gave interesting insights on how strategies can spur diffusion of a technology in one aspect, and also hinder future developments of it in another aspect. It also highlights the big impact that norms of confucian cultures have on the social structures of the system in which the diffusion takes place. It was found that the cultural expressions in South Korea can contribute to a more efficient and greater diffusion rate for a technology, whilst having a tendency to impede the upcoming of radical innovations amongst SMEs.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are becoming increasingly prevalent in peoples’ daily lives due to the presence of e-government. This research aims to identify and understand factors affecting the adoption and use of e-government services in a public sector organisation in a developing country, in this case, Abu Dhabi Police Force (ADPF) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). For this purpose a theoretical framework based on existing e-government and e-services literature was developed. To determine its applicability, a qualitative approach involving 200 participants’ interviews was used in this study. The questions for the interviews were based on the constructs derived from classic theories in the literature. The theories are: Diffusion of Innovations Theory (DOI), Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Decomposed Theory of Planned Behaviour (DTPB) and e-Commerce’s Trustworthiness models. The research study results revealed that departments that had roles and responsibilities aligned with government online products and services, adopted e-services better. Where training and awareness was provided, individuals adopted e-services better, and where trust in the provision of e-services was divided in two. The first relates to e-services being better than a manual service as e-services provide clarity and transparency. The second form of trust aligns with confidentiality and privacy. A subset of the research revealed that demographic factors that include, an organisational structure position and the role that one has, inhibit or encourages the use and adoption of e-services. The contributions from this research are anticipated to be a better understanding of the adoption, diffusion and use of e-services in the UAE region. For theory, this research study provided a diverse approach (qualitative research) in an organisational context, the development of a conceptual framework specific to Abu Dhabi’s public sector department and finally, there is research conducted on government to employee e-services in Abu Dhabi, a rare occurrence. For policymakers, the contribution of this research is that the research can understand the impacts of policies and strategies used for developing and implementing e-services. For practice the contribution can be in the form of results that organisations providing external consultancy services in the UAE can identify and understand. Therefore, results such as, lower positions individuals in departments not utilising e-services emerged and suggest that awareness should be inherent within the organisation. By doing so, fewer risks and waste of resources in the form of time and personnel can be avoided.

Nous étudions la relation entre la mise en place d’instruments politiques, des innovationsvia la Recherche et Développement (R&D) et la diffusion de la technologie dans une structure Nord-Sud. Nous analysons d’abord l’impact de la mise en place d’instruments politiques d’un pays du Nordsur l’investissement en R&D domestique (de procédé puis de produit) dans un cadre théorique. LeNord fait face à la concurrence venant d’un pays du sud à faibles coûts de production. Les résultatsmontrent que ces instruments stimulent les dépenses en R&D mis à part avec un quota surimportations. Nous nous concentrons ensuite sur la question de la diffusion de la technologie du Nordvers le Sud. Nous utilisons un modèle dynamique théorique dans lequel le Nord publie un brevet pouraugmenter la durée de monopole concernant l’utilisation d’une nouvelle technologie. Les instrumentspolitiques précédents ralentissent la diffusion technologique mis à part le quota, une nouvelle fois.Néanmoins, des représailles mises en place par le Sud peuvent l’accélérer. Enfin, nous réalisons uneétude empirique à l’aide d’estimations économétriques au niveau des déterminants potentiels de ladiffusion de la technologie entre le Nord et le Sud, mesurée par les collaborations de brevet. Nousmontrons que l’intégration à l’Union Européenne des pays d’Europe de l’Est augmentesignificativement l’intensité des collaborations avec les pays d’Europe de l’Ouest alors que l’effet surla probabilité de collaboration n’est pas significatif. / We study the relationship between policy instruments, innovations through Research andDevelopment (R&D) and technology diffusion in a North-South structure. First, we analyze the impactof the implementation of policy instruments by a Northern country on domestic (process and product)R&D expenditures in a theoretical framework. The North faces competition from a low-cost Southerncountry. The results show that policy instruments increase R&D expenditures except for an importquota. Then, we focus on the issue of technology diffusion from the North to the South. We design adynamic theoretical model in which the North files a patent to increase the monopoly period with anew technology. Previous policy instruments slow down technology diffusion except for an importquota again. Nevertheless, retaliations implemented by the South may accelerate it. Finally, we makean empirical study through econometric estimations of potential determinants of the technologydiffusion from the North to the South measured by patent collaborations. We show that the EuropeanUnion integration of Eastern European countries significantly increases the intensity of patentcollaborations with Western European countries while the effect on the probability of collaboration isnot significant.