Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen:Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden.Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen.Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. Terms of use: Documents in AbstractFrom the economic literature on the relationship between economic growth and environment pioneered by Grossman and Krueger (1991) and Shafik and Bandyopadhyay (1992) we first conduct a theoretical and critical reflection on the existence of a Kuznets curve for biodiversity. It appears that results are strongly contrasted; economic growth does not seem to be necessarily the solution of biodiversity loss. Then, we focus on the main biodiversity conservation policies implemented in Africa (with the example of Côte d'Ivoire), i.e. protected areas and we discuss its effectiveness in achieving the dual objective of conservation and economic development for local communities.

This paper analyzes the effect of innovation clusters on the adoption of a general purpose technology (GPT) and on firms R&D investment levels in imperfect information situation. We developed a theoretical model of vertical relation, described as a four-step game between an upstream firm providing innovative GPT and an innovative downstream associated sector, integrator of this technology. The downstream sector ignores the quality of the GPT and we model the innovation cluster as a coordination mode of firms, improving the probability of the downstream firm to receive information about the quality of the GPT technology. Then, we determine firms equilibria (i.e. prices and technological qualities) and we showed that the effect of innovation clusters on the choice of qualities, the adoption behavior, levels of R&D investment as well as that social welfare depends on the quality of R&D activities carried out before the establishment of the clusters and a threshold effect (i.e. cluster critical mass); if the critical mass in terms of information sharing and interaction is not reached, the cluster may have negative effects. In other words, the consensual idea of expected positive effects of innovation clusters must be put into perspective.

Competitiveness clusters (or innovation clusters) are the focal point of French new industrial policy. They are based on classical cluster model and its well-known agglomeration positive externalities and on benefits of cooperation. After a brief literature review of cluster theory, we focus on the theoretical conditions under which French innovation clusters can foster production and diffusion of technological innovations. Our short critical analysis points out three non-exhaustive conditions: (i) the capacity to coordinate and to incitate cooperation in R&D; (ii) the capacity to favor production and technological knowledge transfer; (iii) the capacity to promote and to keep R&D appropriation by cooperating innovators.

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