13-14 February 2013
Paris – OECD Conference Centre
(background documents, speaker biographies)
Welcome and Key Findings from the OECD Project on New Sources of Growth: Knowledge-Based Capital
Angel Gurría – Secretary-General, OECD
Panel Discussion: What Should Governments Do - Where Are the Low-Hanging Fruits?
Many types of policy affect business investment in knowledge-based capital. These include policies in areas such as taxation, intellectual property rights, and education and training – so-called framework conditions. They also include long-standing and more targeted initiatives such as support for venture capital. The research on KBC underscores that a policy focus on R&D is too narrow, as much innovation is not
R&D-based. So:
Moderator:
Andrew Wyckoff - Director, Directorate for Science, Technology and Industry, OECD
Panelists:
Tax Policy and Innovation: What Does the Growing Importance of Knowledge-Based Capital Imply?
Most OECD governments give tax incentives for business investment in R&D. The OECD has developed an analytic framework for assessing effective tax rates on multinational enterprises’ investments in R&D. The findings of this work have important implications in connection with government revenue, the efficiency of public spending to foster innovation, the equity of support as between small and large firms, and the ways in which innovation affects the domestic economy. A Background Note for this session, and a set of questions to be debated, are provided in the information package. The OECD research will be presented by the Secretariat.
Presenter and moderator:
Pascal Saint-Amans - Director, Centre for Tax Policy and Administration, OECD
Commentators:
Invited speaker, David E. Martin - Founder and Chairman of M•CAM Inc: “Bank Lending and the Crisis: Unlocking the Collateral Value of Knowledge Capital”
Knowledge-Based Capital and the Creation of Value by Business (Old and New)
Business leaders from different industries will describe how knowledge-based capital – including data, software, R&D, design and branding – are affecting business models, practices and value creation today, and what they consider this implies for government.
Moderator:
Richard Johnson - OECD Business and Industry Advisory Council (BIAC)
Speakers:
Knowledge-Based Capital and Growth: What Do We Know and What Do We Need to Know?
The measurement of business investment in knowledge-based capital and its relationship to growth have been the focus of a growing body of research. This session takes stock of current understanding and examines where new
policy-relevant data and research are most needed.
Moderator:
Giuseppe Nicoletti - Head, Structural Policy Analysis Division, Economics Department, OECD
Speakers:
Commentator:
Panel Discussion: Does the Rise of Knowledge-Based Capital Require a New Competition Policy?
New sectors and business practices heavily reliant on intangibles can pose challenges for competition authorities. The nature of certain competitive strategies, the sources of scale economies and the barriers to entry in the digital economy are often distinct from those in other sectors. This session will examine how, if at all, competition policy needs to adapt to the rise of knowledge-based capital. A Background Note for this session, and a set of questions to be debated, are provided in the information package. An introduction to the key questions will also be made by the moderator.
Moderator:
John Davies - Head, Competition Division, OECD
Panelists:
Parallel Session A - Global Value Chains: Knowledge-Based Capital and the Positioning of Countries and Industries
Where companies operate in global value chains, and the value they extract, depends in part on their command of knowledge-based capital. OECD economies are concerned with anchoring high-wage jobs in such value chains. Many emerging economies are seeking to have their firms move into higher-value areas of such chains, and often target the accumulation of knowledge-capital to this end. Evidence suggests that firms’ participation in global value chains can itself spur investment in knowledge capital. This session explores these dynamics and the scope for policy action. A Background Note for this session, and a set of questions to be debated, are provided in the information package. An introduction to the key questions will also be made by the moderator.
Moderator:
Dirk Pilat - Deputy Director, Directorate for Science, Technology and Industry, OECD
Panelists:
Parallel Session B - Reforming Corporate Reporting of Investment in Knowledge-Based Capital: Why Is this Important, and Can Anything More Be Done?
A growing consensus among practitioners and policymakers that better reflection of knowledge capital in corporate reporting is required in order to improve the functioning of capital markets and corporate governance. Much academic research has sought to establish the value of improved intangibles management and reporting for company valuations and access to finance. However, for a variety of reasons, reforms to corporate reporting of spending on knowledge capital have made only slow progress. This session examines the technical and political economy challenges involved in improving disclosure frameworks and their adoption.
A Background Note for this session, and a set of questions to be debated, are provided in the information package. An introduction to the key questions will also be made by the moderator.
Moderator:
Mats Isaksson - Head, Corporate Affairs Division, OECD
Panelists:
Panel Discussion: Intellectual Property Rights – How Should They Be Adapted for a World of Knowledge-Based Capital?
Intellectual property rights (IPR) afford legal protection for various forms of intellectual property. These rights include patents, copyrights (mostly software, databases and artistic creation), trademarks (brand or logo) and design rights. A number of OECD countries have begun comprehensive reviews of their IPR frameworks, and debates on IPR have assumed new prominence in the economics press, being heightened by recent major corporate acquisitions of intellectual property. IPR frameworks differ across countries. Nevertheless, a number of concerns recur in current policy debates These include: fears over the possible erosion of patent quality; patent application backlogs; the creation of incentives for litigation and the role of ‘patent thickets’ in obstructing entry in some markets; the growing problem of so-called ‘patent trolls’; the extension of the patentable domain; the need to harmonize aspects of intellectual property systems internationally; the difficulty of enforcing copyright in the digital age and fears that copyright law might hinder the emergence of new kinds of internet-based firms; uncertainty in some countries over the adequacy of design rights; and a broader concern that SMEs are relatively disadvantaged in their ability to negotiate intellectual property systems. The discussants will reflect on where the priorities lie in terms of systemic reform, addressing such questions as:
Moderator:
Dominique Guellec - Head, Country Studies Outlook Division, OECD
Panelists:
Panel Discussion: ‘Big Data’: an Emerging Frontier for Innovation and Policy?
The economic and societal impacts of personal and public data are growing. Personal data are being heavily processed, analysed, re-deployed, shared and transferred around the clock and across the globe. Personal data are being successfully employed in several industries, transforming business models and creating economic value at an increasing pace. Public data are also beginning to be used in innovative ways, with major opportunities existing for efficiency gains and the delivery of new public services. However, the emergence of data as a distinct economic asset raises a range of complex policy challenges, particularly in the areas of privacy and data security, but also in connection with skills and infrastructure.
A Background Note for this session, and a set of questions to be debated, are provided in the information package. An introduction to the key questions will also be made by the moderator.
Moderator:
Kenneth Cukier - The Economist
Panelists:
Panel Discussion: Where Next for Policy-Relevant Analysis?
Moderator:
Andrew Wyckoff - Director, Directorate for Science, Technology and Industry, OECD
Panelists:
Closing Remarks
Richard Boucher – Deputy Secretary-General, OECD
For further information please contact: kbc@oecd.org
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