STI policies in the Dominican Republic: the influence of economic rationales from a context-development perspective

Abstract

This article examines the influence of different economic rationales in the Dominican Republic’s science, technology, and innovation (STI) policies from a context-development perspective. For this purpose, four STI policy frameworks are reviewed: the National Competitiveness Plan; the Strategic Plan of Science, Technology, and Innovation; the Ten-year Plan of Higher Education; and the National Development Strategy 2030. Three cycles of STI policies are covered: the industrialization and import substitution cycle; the structural adjustment cycle; and the post-structural adjustment cycle. Five economic rationales are considered: neoclassical, Schumpeterian growth, neo-Marshallian, systemic–institutional, and evolutionary thought. Based on the results, three rationales prevail a systemic–institutional approach; a neo-Marshallian perspective; and a Schumpeterian growth approach. These rationales may refer to the country’s challenges to spur its potential for economic growth and development.

Science, Technology, and Innovation policies in the integration process of Central America and the Dominican Republic: the role of representations and perceptions

“…The extended scheme of CONCYTs has a critical defect: a low political hierarchy. A more detailed review of the institutional evolution of the countries of the Central American isthmus can be found in the work of Viales-Hurtado et al (2021) and for the Dominican Republic in the work of Gómez-Valenzuela (2020).…”

“…It allows the analysis to acquire a heuristic value by itself; therefore, the theoretical interest shifts relationally to the most available sources of the field studied, in this case, STI policies. The second implication is more practical and consists in expanding the specific body of knowledge at the regional level on STI policies, adding a theoretical and methodological complementary to the most recent literature on STI policy analyses at the level of Central America and the Dominican Republic (Bonilla & Serafim, 2021;Casale & Buenrostro, 2014;Gómez-Valenzuela, 2020;Gómez-Valenzuela et al, 2020;Padilla-Pérez & Gaudin, 2014;Viales-Hurtado et al, 2021). Thus, this paper highlights one key aspect of STI policy analysis at the Central American level about the role of representations of STI policies in the economic integration process, considering the perspective of selected policymakers and related stakeholders.…”

“…The evolution of the LAC STI policies can be summarized before and after the structural reforms implemented in the late '80s and early '90s of the Twenty Century (Alcorta & Peres, 1998;Gómez-Valenzuela, 2020;Vonortas, 2002). The aftermath of the failure of protectionist policies between the '60s and the late '80s, known as the import substitution period, led to an aggressive period of industrialization through the public sector's intervention in most LAC countries.…”

“…The aftermath of the failure of protectionist policies between the '60s and the late '80s, known as the import substitution period, led to an aggressive period of industrialization through the public sector's intervention in most LAC countries. In the nineties, the structural reforms led to aggressive economic liberalization, deregulation, and privatization, leading to the emergence of two production patterns (Cimoli et al, 2009;Gómez-Valenzuela, 2020). The 'labor-intensive activities' such as tourist services and various types of free zone parks, mainly of textiles in the Central America and Caribbean area, and activities based on natural resources exploitation such as mining and metallurgy, together with a relatively strong industrial sector in the Southern Cone (Cimoli et al, 2005).…”

“…In some specific cases, the linear supply-side model has been questioned (Laranja et al, 2008). It was the case of Costa Rica, with its National Plan of Science and Technology (MICIT, 2011), which explicitly recognizes the non-linear nature of knowledge production and discusses its economic implications at the level of firms, assuming a more Schumpeterian growth approach (Gómez-Valenzuela, 2020;Laranja et al, 2008). Additionally, the case of Panama refers to the non-linear perspective on innovation in its National Strategic Plan for Science Technology and Innovation 2006(SENACYT, 2010.…”