Innovation policy transfer in developing countries: a comparative analysis of organisational schemes in the national innovation systems of Egypt and Morocco

The practice of forcing onto developing countries policies developed in other contexts assumes standardised paths to social and economic growth. These policies should enable rapid economic development by “correcting” local market inefficiencies, without considering the role these may have in preserving stability and preventing violence. Moreover, this approach does not address the compatibility of such policies with the culture, values and norms of the receiving country. The thesis aims at extending our understanding of success factors for policy transfer, focusing on organisational schemes for innovation support. It follows the pragmatic Research paradigm and adopts a deductive approach using mixed methods to study the link between administrative efficiency and innovation performance in developing countries, an under-researched area. This thesis argues that policies successfully implemented in culturally proximal contexts are more likely to lead to similar results in the receiving context. The results of the quantitative analysis indicate a strong relationship between administrative efficiency and innovation performance in low-middle income countries in the Middle East and North Africa. The performance of organisational schemes supporting innovation in the national innovation systems of Egypt and Morocco is qualitatively assessed on the basis of 72 face-to-face interviews with entrepreneurs, policy makers and academics. The research finds that similar organisational schemes have produced similar results in the two case studies, confirming the working hypothesis and supporting an approach to policy transfer based on “relevant” good practice.