KNOWLEDGE AND INNOVATION FOR COMPETITIVENESS IN BRAZIL, By Alberto Rodriguez with Carl Dahlman and Jmil Salmi .- Washington D.C:The World Bank .- 2008

KNOWLEDGE AND INNOVATION FOR COMPETITIVENESS IN BRAZIL By Alberto Rodriguez with Carl Dahlman and Jamil Salmi .- Washington D.C : The World Bank .- 2008, 247p, , pb. : A book review by Rajashekhar Devarai

“Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives”. – James Madison.

Of late Knowledge and Innovation have emerged as new drivers of ‘modern economies’. The ‘Knowledge Dimension of Economic Development is indeed acknowledged in all quarters to mark a paradigm shift in global economic thinking. This World Bank instituted study is quite timely as a bench mark for Middle Income Countries like Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC). Brazil as a country , eighth largest by population and 5th largest by territory, despite its positive initiatives on debt and inflation management and its much acclaimed glory period of 1960-1980 (known as Brazilian Miracle), as a matter of fact averaged only 2.5 percent per annum over the last 10 years., which is about only half the pace of India and China.
This study on Brazil proposes concrete actions in 6 key areas viz., the Enabling Environment, Knowledge Creation and Commercialization, Acquisition of Foreign Knowledge, Leveraging and Dissemination of Technology use, Basic Education and Skills and Tertiary education. The report briefly outlines Brazil’s trails and concerns to raise its living standards and the much desired course of actions charted out by the authors and the World Bank Team, to bring Brazil to innovation ready level. It indeed is a testimony for all Middle Income and Low Income nations to tighten their belts and get ready to reap the multiplier effect of Knowledge and Innovation initiatives to help play their respective roles in Global Knowledge Economy and Society. What is lacking in the study is its total neglect on the front of Environment and Sustainability with reference to growth and development. Never the less, the contents, policy guidelines and development imperatives spelt out in the report are useful to all policy makers, academics , researchers and business people. It also fills the gaps in research with regard to relations between micro economic inputs such as health and education and macro economic outputs such as Growth and Development. The Knowledge Initiative by and large continues to percolate continuously into micro and macro issues and concerns of human life and society!

Rajashekhar Devarai