Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effect of competition on both innovation inputs and outputs in Chilean firms. More specifically, the authors investigate whether there is an inverted-U relationship at different stages of the innovation process. Design/methodology/approach The sample covers 1,347 firms that responded to both the 4th Chilean Longitudinal Enterprise Survey and the 10th Chilean Innovation Survey. The CDM model (Crépon et al., 1998) is applied to correct for selectivity bias and endogeneity. Competition is proxied by measures of market concentration. The robustness of the results is checked using four alternative indicators. Findings The results strongly suggest that competition and both R&D and innovation intensities are linked by an inverted U-shaped curve. The estimated effects of competition on innovation output and labor productivity are rather ambiguous. Thus, market structure would be influencing the firms’ incentives to innovate, but not necessarily their innovation performance. Research limitations/implications The model is based on cross-sectional data, hampering the possibility to control for unobserved heterogeneity. Competitive pressures from potential entrants and foreign markets are not captured in the analysis. Practical implications Moderate levels of competition would be the optimal market structure in terms of promoting more business R&D and innovation spending. Originality/value A previously unutilized data set covering the whole economy is used. Estimations are executed at three different stages of the innovation process. Two types of innovation input and four types of innovation output are taken into account.

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PurposeThe authors analyzed the effects of importing activities on both technological and non-technological innovation in Chile. They contribute to the literature by hypothesizing and testing the idea that importing activities can foster the introduction of product, process, marketing and organizational innovations in emerging market firms.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used a combination of two economic surveys that included 1,347 Chilean companies. To test their hypotheses, they applied a variant of the Crépon-Duguet-Mairesse (CDM) model (Crépon et al., 1998) accounting for technological and non-technological innovation outputs. Specifically, four alternative innovation output indicators were used to measure the introduction of product, process, marketing and organizational innovations.FindingsThe results revealed that importing activities had positive effects on technological and non-technological innovation. Importers showed a significant advantage in the introduction of product, marketing and organizational innovations. Firms that both import and export (i.e. two-way traders) had an even greater advantage in the introduction of new or significantly improved products.Originality/valueThe authors demonstrated a relationship between importing activities and both technological and non-technological innovation that is novel and relevant, particularly at a historical moment when COVID-19 poses huge economic challenges to emerging market firms. As trade disruptions caused by the pandemic have predisposed some governments to favor protectionist policies, the authors warn that erecting barriers against imports can hamper the innovative success of local businesses.

La enfermedad de tipo Alzheimer es la causa más frecuente de las demencias. Aunque existe una presentación temprana asociada a 3 genes de tipo autosómico dominante, estos solo explican entre el 1 al 2% de todos los casos. Se hacen esfuerzos en establecer características genéticas de riesgo para un diagnóstico temprano de la enfermedad. Método: Existen múltiples estudios científicos relacionados a la prevención, diagnóstico y tratamiento de la demencia de tipo Alzheimer. La presente revisión se enfoca sobre la presencia del gen de ApoE y su relación con el desarrollo y evolución de la enfermedad. Conclusiones: La demencia de tipo Alzheimer tiene un origen multifactorial, sin embargo para los casos de aparición tardía la presencia del genotipo ApoE4 es un biomarcador de riesgo determinante.

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