Pakistan ‘least efficient innovator’ in Asia

Published September 13, 2014
.— Creative Commons
.— Creative Commons

ISLAMABAD: A new ‘Creative Productivity Index’ (CPI) developed by the Asian Develop­ment Bank (ADB) and Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU) has ranked Pakistan as the least efficient innovator.

Pakistan is ranked 23rd with weaknesses in fostering a competitive business environment and it provides little incentive for firms to innovate, says the report released on Friday.

Also read: ADB revises Pakistan outlook upwards

According to the index, Myanmar and Cambodia have also been ranked as the least efficient innovators, while Japan and South Korea have been ranked as countries most efficient in the Asia and Pacific region at turning creative inputs into tangible innovation.

Of economies with high creative inputs, Singapore and Australia are less efficient at turning those into outputs. Of those with lower creative inputs, Pakistan and Cambodia are less efficient at turning inputs into outputs.

The index uses 36 input indicators to measure the capacity and incentives for innovation, including how many global top 500 universities a country has, the urbanisation rate, spending on research and development, protection of intellectual property rights, and corruption and bureaucracy.

The eight output indicators to measure innovation include the number of patents filed, export sophistication, value added to agriculture, and the number of books and films produced.

The CPI aims to give policymakers a unique tool to measure progress in fostering creativity and innovation in 22 Asian economies along with the United States and Finland for comparison purposes. It measures the innovative and creative capacity of economies by relating creative inputs to outputs.

On the input side, creative productivity is measured on three dimensions: the capacity to innovate, incentives to innovate and how conducive the environment is to innovation. The output side measures innovations by considering both conventional indicators, such as the number of patents filed, as well as a broader set of measures of knowledge creation.

On innovation inputs alone, Singapore topped the rankings with strong political institutions, protection of intellectual property, and contract enforcement. Among Asian countries, Hong Kong, China topped the list in terms of innovation outputs due to a high level of export sophistication and its prolific film production industry.

The CPI differs from existing innovation-related indices by focusing on how efficiently countries turn their creative inputs into innovation outputs rather than just the absolute level of creative inputs.

Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2014

Follow Dawn Business on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook for insights on business, finance and tech from Pakistan and across the world.

Opinion

Editorial

Afghan turbulence
Updated 19 Mar, 2024

Afghan turbulence

RELATIONS between the newly formed government and Afghanistan’s de facto Taliban rulers have begun on an...
In disarray
19 Mar, 2024

In disarray

IT is clear that there is some bad blood within the PTI’s ranks. Ever since the PTI lost a key battle over ...
Festering wound
19 Mar, 2024

Festering wound

PROTESTS unfolded once more in Gwadar, this time against the alleged enforced disappearances of two young men, who...
Defining extremism
Updated 18 Mar, 2024

Defining extremism

Redefining extremism may well be the first step to clamping down on advocacy for Palestine.
Climate in focus
18 Mar, 2024

Climate in focus

IN a welcome order by the Supreme Court, the new government has been tasked with providing a report on actions taken...
Growing rabies concern
18 Mar, 2024

Growing rabies concern

DOG-BITE is an old problem in Pakistan. Amid a surfeit of public health challenges, rabies now seems poised to ...