{"id":4396,"date":"2023-02-04T08:21:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-04T08:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/innovation.evhost.co.il\/en\/?post_type=report&p=4396"},"modified":"2023-12-06T06:17:14","modified_gmt":"2023-12-06T06:17:14","slug":"an-innovation-driven-economy-in-the-periphery","status":"publish","type":"report","link":"https:\/\/innovation.evhost.co.il\/en\/report\/an-innovation-driven-economy-in-the-periphery\/","title":{"rendered":"An Innovation Driven Economy in the Periphery"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Is the State of Israel worthy of its description as \u201cthe startup nation\u201d? The initial answer is surely \u201cyes\u201d \u2013 Israel is a world leader in terms of the number and quality of its startups. However, another question arises: is Israel the Startup Nation or is it just the Tel Aviv metropolitan area that can justifiably make this claim, and not the country as a whole?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This chapter seeks to examine this question \u2013 not only with regard to startup companies, but also in regard to the entire Israeli innovation system. It will propose a practical agenda with a dual goal: optimal use of the innovation resources that exist beyond the Tel Aviv metropolis for the benefit of the Israeli innovation system, and innovation-inclined economic growth throughout the country. We believe in a plan of action that will benefit both the Israeli innovation system Tel Aviv and the areas in the eographical periphery. However, this requires implementable solutions that consider the market forces acting on national innovation systems, that are adapted for each individual region. For example, an attempt to duplicate Rothschild Boulevard\u2019s high- tech activity in the Galilee or the negev may fail, or worse, come at the expense of successful practical solutions better suited to these areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When examining the geographical distribution of the various economic sectors in Israel, we must distinguish between results that are the consequence of economic forces at work in Israel and wishful thinking. The premise we must accept is that high-tech companies tend to concentrate in certain geographical areas, frequently in urban metropolises. The most prominent example of this is San Francisco although other centers such as London, Beijing and Berlin have followed suit in recent years. This phenomenon has many advantages, both for the companies themselves and for the regional economy. The companies inspire each other with technological knowledge, exchange skilled human capital, and attract investors. The trend has grown over the past decade, for reasons that include increasing technological complexity necessitating greater collaboration, and because of the increasing attraction of workers to vibrant urban areas. Katz, B. and Wagner, J. (2014). The Rise of Innovation Districts: A New Geography of Innovation in AmericaIn practice, today, more than 50% of venture capital investment in the world is concentrated in only ten urban metropolises.Florida, R. (Oct 3, 2017). Venture Capital Remains Highly Concentrated in Just Few Cities. Citylab <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The other side of the coin is that the area in which they are concentrated benefits from accelerated growth and high-quality employment. As these regions develop, they become a powerful magnet, attracting most of the \u201ctalent\u201d, investors and entrepreneurs. While they serve as an economic growth engines, attracting innovation resources may harm the potential growth and quality employment in other areas. This dynamic can also have negative ramifications for the national economy by potentially increasing disparities and leading to an under-utilization of skilled workers who, for various reasons, are unable to work in these centers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
similar \u201ccentralization\u201d trend in high-tech also exists in Israel: more than 60% of all high- tech jobs in Israel are located in the Tel Aviv and central regions, and as Diagram no. 1 illustrates, approximately 77% of the companies operate in this area. Diagram no. 2 reveals that this trend has even intensified in recent years with the growth in high-tech employment in Tel Aviv constituting approximately 70% of the total increase in this sector in Israel.CBS Data, Labor Force Survey, High-tech sectors excluding communications sector<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n As mentioned above, this trend is not surprising. Access to skilled human capital is decisive for high-tech companies and they therefore tend to locate themselves at the center of innovation activity. Other considerations, such as the high cost of office space in city centers are of only secondary importance for them, because of the relatively small office space required per employee. This is in contrast to other sectors such as manufacturing and agriculture that generally require large space, occasionally even far from population centers. Although the geographical distribution described here is based on economic logic and relative regional advantages, it creates several economic and social challenges for the Israeli economy. The first of these challenges is a significant productivity disparity between the country\u2019s periphery and center that is reflected in salaries which are approximately 35% lower than the average in central Israel.National Insurance Institute Data. Only a small part of this disparity is offset by lower living costs in the periphery \u2013 according to National Economic Council analysis, expenses in the periphery are lower by approx. 300-1000 shekels per month than expenses in central Israel , The National Economic Council in the Prime Minister’s Office, 2018. Towards 2040 \u2013 A Metropolitan View of Economic Development 32% of this disparity can be explained by the difference between the different sectors i.e., by the fact that the high-tech sectors, which are concentrated in the center of the country, are characterized by high productivity compared to the average in developed countries, whereas the mass manufacturing and agriculture sectors, concentrated in the periphery, are typified by lower productivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A further challenge arises in light of the shortage of skilled high-tech workers. As we mentioned in the \u201cHigh-Tech in Israel 2018\u201d chapter, there are an estimated 15,000 unfilled jobs in the high- tech industry. Due to the concentration of high-tech in the center of the country, skilled workers living in the periphery have lower access to high-tech employment. Consequently, the Israeli high-tech industry fails to fully utilize the human capital potential in the periphery.It should be pointed out that this estimation relies on the assumption that there are people living in the periphery with high-tech skills who fail to find quality employment in the field \u2013 an assumption that still requires empirical confirmation. An indication to this appears later in this chapter <\/p>\n\n\n\n The challenges described above lie at the foundation of a strategy formulated by the Innovation Authority that is aimed at promoting an innovation-inclined economy in the periphery areas and serve as a clear guiding light for the Authority: a successful policy is beneficial, both for the local economy in the periphery, and the innovation system as a whole. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n This policy was not created in a vacuum. For years, the Chief Scientist\u2019s Bureau in the Ministry of Economy, from which the Innovation Authority was born, endeavored in a number of ways, to promote technological innovation in the periphery. Firstly, companies from all sectors located in the periphery8 received increased grants. Secondly, as part of the Technological Incubators Program, incubators operated, and still operate today, in a range of peripheral areas. Furthermore, large high-tech companies that established development centers in the periphery received special benefits. Approximately a third of the Authority\u2019s annual grants budget was allocated in recent years to R&D activity in the periphery \u2013 a total of about half a billion shekels ($140 million) a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The need to formulate an updated and comprehensive strategy for innovation in the periphery arose from the very outset of the Innovation Authority\u2019s operation. The Knesset, with the legislation that founded the Authority, placed explicit emphasis on promoting technological innovation in the periphery as one of the Authority\u2019s central policy objectives.The Encouragement of Industrial Research and Development Law, 5744-1984, Clause 1 Accordingly, throughout 2018, we conducted an in-depth examination of policy alternatives for promoting technological innovation in the periphery regions, while considering prior experience in Israel, in other countries, and a current situation report. In addition, we conducted a comprehensive field study among a range of relevant local entities: local authorities, innovation centers, higher education institutions, entrepreneurs and companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The study clearly revealed that a national policy for promoting an innovation-inclined economy in periphery areas must be based primarily on regional competitive advantages. In other words, effort should be made to strengthen the local center of gravity of economic activity in the periphery \u2013 specifically, mass manufacturing, agriculture and food processing \u2013 by encouraging technological innovation and entrepreneurship. The study also found that quality high-tech employment should be made more available to periphery residents \u2013 both in order to increase wages and productivity in the periphery, and as a solution for the shortage of human capital in the high-tech industry. Accordingly, the Innovation Authority\u2019s strategy to promote technological innovation in the periphery is based on four central objectives: <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The manufacturing industry in Israel in general has suffered from under-investment in technological innovation for many years. Among the variety of causes for this were a lack of financing solutions, only loose affiliations with technology and research players, a shortage of technicians, difficulty in allocating managerial resources, and the lack of a sufficient knowledge infrastructure for implementing innovative technologies.Ministry of Economy and Industry (2018). National Strategic Plan for Advanced Manufacturing in Industry<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSource: Startup nation Central and CBS Data, Personnel Survey (excluding the communication sector)<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
It is not surprising therefore that approximately half the jobs in mass manufacturing industries and about 80% of all farmed agricultural land is located in the north and south of Israel.CBS Data, Annual Yearbook 2017, Table 20.12, excluding high-tech, and the Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development, Agricultural and Rural Planning Policy Paper (2015) The high availability and low cost of land in these areas lead to specialization in mass manufacturing, agriculture and food, and as will be presented below, we believe that these advantages should be leveraged and strengthened by connecting them to Israel\u2019s advanced innovation system.<\/p>\n\n\n\nA Strategy for an Innovation-driven Economy in the Periphery<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\n1. Promoting Technological Innovation in the Manufacturing Industry and in the Agriculture and Food Sectors in the Periphery<\/h4>\n\n\n\n