Productivity, Innovation and Competitiveness in Small Open Economies is the final report of the project on Productivity, Innovation and Competitiveness in Small Open Economies (PICSOE). The PICSOE project is a research study commissioned by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) in 2009 to investigate approaches and strategies for advancing productivity, innovation and competitiveness in the three leading small open economies of Singapore, New Zealand, and the Republic of Ireland so as to draw insights for Northern Ireland.
The PICSOE project has undertaken performance, industry, and policy analyses of these small open economies and of key sectors within them, including emerging technology industries, chemicals, processed food, and advanced services. Three prior technical reports have been delivered: 1. A Comparison of Northern Ireland's Productivity and Efficiency across Services and Manufacturing; 2. Mapping Organizational Capabilities for Innovation and Competitiveness: Research Performance and Patenting in Small Open Economies; and 3. Competitiveness and Innovation Profiles of Three Small Open Economies: New Zealand, Singapore, and Republic of Ireland. This final report, Productivity, Innovation and Competitiveness in Small Open Economies, provides an overview of the findings of these earlier reports and assesses the applicability, comparability, and significance of the findings for policy development in Northern Ireland to support the region's prosperity, innovativeness, and industrial productivity. Some of the information and analyses included in the technical reports have been updated prior to use in the PIC SOE final study report.
The study team comprised: Dr. Adrian T.H. Kuah, (University of Bradford, UK); Prof. Philip Shapira (Manchester Institute of Innovation Research, Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, UK); Dr. Eleanor Doyle (Institute for Business Development and Competitiveness, Department of Economics, University College Cork, Republic of Ireland); and Dr. Damian R. Ward (University of Bradford, UK). Additional research assistance was provided by Lasandahasi Ranmuthumalie de Silva, Fergal O'Connor, Gary Marsh and Luciano Kay. This final report was completed by Philip Shapira, Eleanor Doyle, and Damian Ward. Any opinions, findings, and recommendations expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of DETI.