Person:
Yusuf, Shahid

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industrial development; urbanization; innovation systems; higher education
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Last updated: January 31, 2023
Biography
Shahid Yusuf is currently Chief Economist of The Growth Dialogue at the George Washington University School of Business in Washington DC. Prior to joining the Growth Dialogue, Dr. Yusuf was on the staff of the World Bank. During his 35-year tenure at the World Bank, Dr. Yusuf was the team leader for the World Bank-Japan project on East Asia’s Future Economy from 2000-2009. He was the Director of the World Development Report 1999/2000, Entering the 21st Century. Prior to that, he was Economic Adviser to the Senior Vice President and Chief Economist (1997-98), Lead Economist for the East Africa Department (1995-97) and Lead Economist for the China and Mongolia Department (1989-1993).  Dr. Yusuf has written extensively on development issues, with a special focus on East Asia and has also published widely in various academic journals. He has authored or edited 27 books on industrial and urban development, innovation systems and tertiary education, which have been translated into a number of different languages.

Publication Search Results

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Publication
    From Technological Catch-up to Innovation : The Future of China’s GDP Growth
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2012-01-02) Yusuf, Shahid
    This report stats that income gaps among countries are largely explained by differences in productivity. By raising the capital/labor ratio and rapidly assimilating technologies across a wide range of activities, China has increased factor productivity manifold since 1980 and joined the ranks of middle income countries. With the launch of the 12th FYP, China has set its sights on becoming a high income country by 2030 through a strategy combining high levels of investment with rapid advances in technology comparable to that of Japan from the 1960s through the 1970s, and Korea s from the 1980s through the end of the century. The report concludes that the best bet is an innovation system anchored to and drawing its energy from a competitive national economy. Technological progress and the flourishing of innovation in China will be the function of a competitive, globally networked ecosystem constructed in two stages during 2011- 2030. Government technology cum competition policies will provide impetus in the first stage, but success will hinge on the quality of the workforce, the initiative and policies of firms, the emergence of supporting services.
  • Publication
    Accelerating Innovation in China’s Solar, Wind and Energy Storage Sectors
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2017-10-01) Kuriakose, Smita; Lewis, Joanna; Tamanini, Jeremy; Yusuf, Shahid
    Green innovation can become a new driver of growth. It can spur economic growth by (a) enhancing productivity in traditional industries by reducing the energy use and lessening the environmental impact; (b) expanding new green industries, such as renewable energy, clean cars, and waste management; and (c) leapfrogging current technology to give rise to new industries. The Chinese government is hopeful that green innovation will substantially enhance growth, and this study explores that potential. The study analyzes a few specific sectors in which China has varying levels of advancement: wind, solar, and energy storage. These sectors have been chosen on the basis of (a) their central role in China’s ability to meet its green growth and greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals, (b) China’s continuing large public investment into innovation in these sectors, and (c) the expected availability of data to use in the analysis, including outputs such as patenting and inputs such as public and private investment in research and development (R&D). The government plays an essential role in establishing a conducive environment for green innovation. Given the high fixed costs associated, green sectors are even more dependent on the public sectors and favorable regulatory regimes. The recommendations provided in in this study aim to provide China with more comprehensive support for select green sectors.
  • Publication
    Growth through Innovation : An Industrial Strategy for Shanghai
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2009-04-22) Yusuf, Shahid; Nabeshima, Kaoru
    In broad terms, the sources of economic growth are well understood but relatively few countries have succeeded in effectively harnessing this knowledge for policy purposes so as to sustain high rates of growth over an extended period of time (commission on growth and development 2008; Yusuf 2009a). This study argues, however, that a high growth strategy which puts technology upgrading and innovation at the center might warrant a different approach from the one currently favored. It derives from the experience of global cities such as New York and London and the empirical research on industrial performance and on innovation. This has yielded four significant findings: first, monosectoral services based economies grow slowly because they benefit less from increases in productivity and from innovation. Second, manufacturing industries producing complex capital goods, electronic equipment, and sophisticated components are more Research and Development (R&D) intensive, generate many more innovations, are more export oriented, have a solid track record of rising productivity, and having achieved competitiveness, are in a better position to sustain it because the entry barriers to these industries tend to be higher. By giving rise to dense backward and forward linkages these industries can serve as the nuclei of urban clusters and maximize employment generation. Third, industrial cities create many more jobs for a middle class and tend to have a more equal distribution of income than cities which are dominated by services. Fourth, and finally, cities with a world class tertiary education and research infrastructure linked to industry, are more resilient in the face of shocks, more innovative, and better able to reinvent themselves.