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31. Financing Innovations – Cameroonian Startups and the Rise of Alternative Funding

Author:
Adeline Nembot, Yollande Meli Tankeu, and Larissa Ntoubia
Publication Date:
09-2024
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Nkafu Policy Institute
Abstract:
In Cameroon, startups have always relied on personal resources and bank financing despite their heavy investment requirements. Yet, rigorous collateral and high interest rate requirements limit access to bank loans. As a result in 2021, only 15% of Cameroonian startups had access to formal funding options, while the majority relied on personal savings or informal funding sources (1), such as Informal Saving Groups and Rotating Savings and Credit Associations (ROSCAs). Moreover, according to the Central African Startup Finance Report 2022, funds raised in 2022 by startups in Cameroon remained stable year to year at 7.3 billion francs CFA ($12 million) (2). In 2023, the Africa platform’s report showing the breakdown by country of funds raised by young African startups revealed that Cameroon attracted fewer investors, raising just $4 million, far behind Côte d’Ivoire ($17 million), Senegal ($44 million), Benin ($71 million), Kenya ($88 million), South Africa ($410 million), and Egypt ($640 million) (3). This restricted access hinders startups’ potential to innovate, create jobs, and contribute to economic growth. In this context, there is a need for exploring alternative financing options, which demands a shift from traditional to emergent financing solutions.
Topic:
Economics, Finance, Innovation, and Startup
Political Geography:
Africa and Cameroon

32. Technological Innovation and Cybersecurity: The Role of the G7

Author:
Ettore Greco and Federica Marconi
Publication Date:
05-2024
Content Type:
Commentary and Analysis
Institution:
Istituto Affari Internazionali
Abstract:
In an era of unprecedented technological advancement, digital transformation is revealing its enormous potential, but also presenting new challenges. At its core, it represents a catalyst for innovation, igniting advancements that enhance productivity and propel economic growth. Thus, harnessing its transformative power holds the promise of unlocking new opportunities, solving complex challenges and ultimately shaping a more inclusive and sustainable future for humanity. However, rapid technological progress has ushered in a new era of interconnectedness and interdependence, where nations are increasingly reliant on digital systems and networks to power their economies and safeguard their national security. In this regard, the intersection of technological advancement and the amplification of geopolitical tensions has brought into sharp focus the myriad threats that countries face in the contemporary landscape. Among others, cyberattacks, in particular, have grown more sophisticated, transcending national borders and necessitating collaboration and partnerships among nations to protect against such threats. These challenges have prompted all major actors – both public and private – to intensify their efforts to protect their data and digital assets. They are devising and implementing a variety of risk management strategies. The empirical evidence shows that the most effective and resilient cybersecurity policies and approaches are those tailored to specific risks and security requirements. Individual organisations need to adopt the cybersecurity measures most appropriate for the challenges they face, based on a careful risk assessment. This requires the adoption of internationally recognised cybersecurity frameworks and standards that are based upon the principles of risk management and that are relevant across sectors to strengthen consistency and continuity among interconnected sectors and throughout global supply chains. Cybersecurity threats are transnational by definition and as such they can be countered effectively only through global mechanisms aimed at risk reduction and trust building. A primary objective of multilateral cooperation should be the adoption of interoperable policy frameworks that promote international harmonisation and consistent cybersecurity mechanisms. The G7 can provide a fundamental impulse for this cooperation at the global level by encouraging the development and implementation of risk-based, consensus-driven frameworks, standards and risk management best practices. A commitment to these internationally recognised cyber risk management approaches and frameworks can advance economic security and enhance cyber resilience across the ecosystem.
Topic:
Science and Technology, Cybersecurity, Innovation, G7, and Digital Policy
Political Geography:
Global Focus

33. Friendshoring the Lithium-Ion Battery Supply Chain: Final Assembly and End Uses

Author:
William Alan Reinsch, Meredith Broadbent, Thibault Denamiel, and Elias Shammas
Publication Date:
06-2024
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
Abstract:
Policies surrounding the lithium-ion battery (LIB) supply chain lie at the intersection of trade, climate, and national security considerations. The LIB supply chain spans the globe, and yet some critical inputs are only produced in a handful of countries—in particular China, which is dominant at several key stages of the technology’s production. The Biden administration appears to have three central, yet misaligned, objectives regarding the LIB supply chain: de-risking away from China’s dominance, reshoring manufacturing capabilities, and accelerating the green transition. To spur the technology’s production and deployment, the United States must undertake several economic and trade policy changes to address gaps in its current approach.
Topic:
Innovation, Lithium, Supply Chains, Energy, and Friendshoring
Political Geography:
Global Focus

34. Driving Change: How EVs Are Reshaping China’s Economic Relationship with Latin America

Author:
Ilaria Mazzocco, Ryan C. Berg, and Rubi Bledsoe
Publication Date:
09-2024
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
Abstract:
Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are navigating a new geopolitical moment. Some LAC countries are benefitting from increased access to low-cost, high-quality electric vehicles (EVs) and new investment throughout the value chain from China that can help meet governments’ climate and economic objectives. However, this comes with risks, as dependencies on Beijing may be exacerbated at a time when China’s economy is underperforming and geopolitical competition with the United States is on the rise. Washington should find new ways to engage with the region to find solutions that address local demands and simultaneously mitigate U.S. geopolitical risk.
Topic:
Global Markets, Economy, Innovation, and Electric Vehicles
Political Geography:
China, Asia, and Latin America

35. European agriculture and Ukrainian agriculture complement each other

Author:
Alan Hervé
Publication Date:
07-2024
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Robert Schuman Foundation (RSF)
Abstract:
Agriculture has long been the richest, most diversified and most innovative of Ukraine's economic and social activities. Since Russia launched its aggression against Ukraine in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea, it has also become the most essential for the country and the one that raises the most questions in its relations with the European Union, which it intends to join as soon as possible. Many accuse Ukraine of unfair competition: on wheat, which is seriously disrupting Poland's agrarian economy; on poultry meat, which is said to be a threat to French production; on sugar and, increasingly, on organic products. Beyond the particular circumstances we are currently experiencing, Ukraine could occupy a place of choice within an enlarged Union. Thanks to its high-performance agriculture, it could help to strengthen the Union's role in meeting the food needs of deficit countries, at a time when, without Ukraine, the European Union is losing market share all over the world, particularly to the growing competition from Russia. Ukraine's competitiveness should not be an obstacle to fruitful cooperation, if the accession negotiations agree to include all the key issues of climate change, ecological diversity and the aspiration of a majority of rural people to contribute to solving these problems. This paper outlines the issues at stake and the solutions we need to analyse together in order to take action, and thus to set a new and determined course for a Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) that has lost its way.
Topic:
Agriculture, Economics, European Union, Innovation, and Russia-Ukraine War
Political Geography:
Europe and Ukraine

36. Hidden Champions of the Chinese Economy: Implications for Korea

Author:
Seungshin Lee
Publication Date:
08-2024
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP)
Abstract:
This paper reviews China's policy of nurturing small and medium sized enterprises. The Chinese government is expanding its establishment of national manufacturing innovation centers necessary to promote national strategies. It plays a very important role in the financial support process for these hidden champions. This is because the government certification process to identify hidden champions is linked to direct and indirect financial support using government and private capital. This paper attempted to analyze the management situation and export competitiveness of listed hidden champions. As a result of analyzing the trade statistics of materials, parts, and equipment from 2012 to 2022, when China's policy of cultivating foster hidden champions was fully implemented, the global trade balance of the China's materials, parts, and equipment industry increased significantly from a deficit of $55.6 billion in 2012 to a surplus of $264.1 billion in 2022. The improvement of China's competitiveness in the fields of materials, parts, and equipment can also be seen as a change in the trade specialization index (TSI) of these industries. Looking at China's global trade specialization index for materials, parts, and equipment, it was import-specialized at -0.033 in 2012, but rose to 0.100 in 2022, improving export competitiveness. Korea should recognize the changes in the trade and industrial structure between Korea and China and form a new paradigm of economic cooperation to overcome the limitations of economic exchanges between the two countries. China, which used to be seen as a manufacturing base for other countries, must now be seen as an advanced country in new industries with which the current structure of economic cooperation structure must be modified accordingly.
Topic:
Economy, Business, Innovation, Trade, and Capital
Political Geography:
China, Asia, and South Korea

37. Into Uncharted Waters: Trade Secrets Law in the AI Era

Author:
Burcu Kilic
Publication Date:
05-2024
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI)
Abstract:
Artificial intelligence (AI) has many beneficial applications that can improve quality of life, but accountability and transparency can be elusive when problems arise. This paper looks at the tools, systems and measures needed to ensure that when AI systems do more harm than good, their administrators are held accountable. Trade secrets law protects the source code, algorithms and data sets upon which AI systems are built, but they also prevent those harmed by these systems from getting answers. Requests for disclosure, data sharing and due process are being denied in the name of trade secrets protection. Complicating the matter is that trade secrets are treated differently in various jurisdictions.
Topic:
Science and Technology, Innovation, Artificial Intelligence, and Trade Secrets
Political Geography:
Global Focus

38. Explainable AI Policy: It Is Time to Challenge Post Hoc Explanations

Author:
Mardi Witzel, Gaston H. Gonnet, and Tom Snider
Publication Date:
07-2024
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI)
Abstract:
The focus of this paper is on policy guidance around explainable artificial intelligence (AI) or the ability to understand how AI models arrive at their outcomes. Explainability matters in human terms because it facilitates including an individual’s “right to explanation” and it also plays a role in enabling technical evaluation of AI systems. The paper begins with an examination of the meaning of explainability, concluding that the constellation of related terms serves to frustrate and confuse policy initiatives. Following a brief review of contemporary policy guidance, it argues that there is a need for greater clarity and context-specific guidance, highlighting the need to distinguish between ante hoc and post hoc explainability, especially in high-risk, high-impact contexts. The question of whether post hoc or ante hoc methods have been employed is a fundamental and often-overlooked question in policy. The paper argues that the question of which method should be employed in a given context, along with the requirement for human-level understanding, is a key challenge that policy makers need to address. A taxonomy for how explainability can be operationalized in AI policy is proposed and a series of recommendations is set forth.
Topic:
Science and Technology, Innovation, and Artificial Intelligence
Political Geography:
Global Focus

39. Circular Economy in the Industrial Goods Sector: A Framework for Understanding Private Sector Progress and Innovation

Author:
Chris Albin-Lackey
Publication Date:
05-2024
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment
Abstract:
A circular economy is an economic system “fundamentally based on closing the loops around systems of extraction, production, and consumption.”1 Individual participants in a circular economy reduce, reuse, and recycle. They strive to consume less. They minimize waste, especially by producing and using longer-lasting goods that do not need to be replaced often. And as much as possible, they recycle goods that can no longer be used back into the production loop, minimizing the need to extract new resources and materials from the natural world.2 Some definitions of a circular economy also emphasize the idea of minimizing harm to the natural environment and taking meaningful actions to restore it.3 Since the idea of a circular economy describes an entire economic system, it is not primarily framed around the specific, near-term behavior of individual companies within the existing economy. No complex business can attain perfect circularity within the context of our emphatically non-circular global economy. Systemic progress towards a circular economy would require strong and coherent government action in the form of regulation, support and incentives. State action would ultimately need to shape the behavior of actors across the entire breadth of the economy. The literature details more comprehensive and detailed visions of circularity and the synergies between circular economy, climate and environmental goals. Generally speaking, that literature describes the larger system and not the immediate steps companies should take to align with and support progress towards a more circular economy.4 However, individual companies can take meaningful steps forward, both alone and in collaboration with others. This paper contributes to a wider understanding of what such efforts look like in practice by studying the circular economy goals, efforts and claims of about 50 companies across the industrial goods sector. It breaks down essential elements of circular economy innovation and good practice into five distinct categories of company action–outlined below–and describes practical examples of each based on companies’ publicly-articulated claims.
Topic:
Economy, Business, Manufacturing, Innovation, and Industry
Political Geography:
Global Focus

40. Artificial Intelligence for Tibetan Knowledge Systems / Geshe Lobsang Monlam

Author:
Geshe Lobsang Monlam
Publication Date:
07-2024
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University
Abstract:
Monlam Information Technology has been at the forefront of advances in Tibetan language information technology for over two decades. At its forefront is Geshe Lobsang Monlam, PhD, a monk and scholar who has dedicated his life to integrating Tibetan knowledge into the digital world. Join us for a special presentation by Geshe Monlam on Monlam AI, his latest initiative to use artificial intelligence to provide accessible Tibetan knowledge systems for learning and spiritual growth, as well as The Monlam Grand Tibetan Dictionary project and app, and the forthcoming Tibetan Digital Library Project. Speaker bio: Venerable Geshe Lobsang Monlam, PhD, is a monk and scholar who has dedicated his life to integrating Tibetan knowledge into the digital world. He achieved his geshe degree at Sera Mey Thoesam Norling Monastic Institute, India, in 2013. A passion for computers and gadgetry led him to create Tibetan computer font and software applications, and to establish Monlam IT. His fonts, software, and apps are used by millions – and they are all distributed for free. Geshe Monlam's commitment to integrating Tibetan knowledge into the digital world is acknowledged by prominent religious leaders and by academic and science institutions worldwide. Geshe la earned a PhD in Library Science in 2023. Co-sponsored by C.V. Starr East Asian Library and the Modern Tibetan Studies Program at Columbia University.
Topic:
Language, Innovation, Artificial Intelligence, and Knowledge Systems
Political Geography:
Asia and Tibet