Towards an indicator of R&D and human development. Issue 2 (4th March 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kruss, Glenda; Sithole, Moses; Buchana, Yasser
• Is Part Of: Development Southern Africa. Volume 38:Issue 2(2021)
• Page Start: 248
• Page End: 263
• Publication Date: 2021-03-04
• Subjects: R&D intensity -- STI indicators -- human development -- inequality -- economic growth; Economic development -- Africa, Southern -- Periodicals; Africa, Southern -- Economic conditions -- Periodicals; 338.90096805
• DOI: 10.1080/0376835X.2020.1824767
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0376-835X

Abstract

ABSTRACT: To measure policy progress, one key science, technology and innovation indicator has long captured the imagination of policy makers: gross domestic R&D expenditure as a proportion of the gross domestic product of a country. However, African development challenges inform new policy commitments to orient STI towards inclusive and sustainable development. Such dynamics led us to question how the prevailing STI measurement frameworks need to change. A starting point is to add a complementary measure: how can existing methods be used to assess and track the gross domestic R&D expenditure oriented to drive equitable and inclusive human development? The paper aims to design such a complementary indicator using existing national R&D datasets collected in line with the Frascati guidelines. We focus our experimentation in the South African context, with a view to generalising new measures to the sub-Saharan African context over the longer term.