SSH

How has the increase in Chinese exports of textile products affected the employment of low skilled workers in German retail trade? What would be the effects of a change in the European Union s agricultural policy on global CO2 emissions?

We aim to understand the contributions of intangible investments to innovation, competitiveness, growth and productivity in Europe. Such a project is, we feel, vital to help EU policy formation and deepen our understanding of some of the most crucial questions facing EU economic policy. The reason is simple. Currently, (almost all) intangible investments are either not measured, or treated as an intermediate input into production so they are assumed to produce no durable assets for firms or economies. Does this matter? In practice, most knowledge investments involve intangible spending.

Companies that dont innovate lose their competitive edge. This is one certainty companies in an increasingly competitive, complex environment face, and which is further driven home by the 2005 re-launch of the Lisbon Strategy. But how should a Philips, IMEC or say a leading company in high-tech or knowledge-based services innovate their service function?