Perception of obstacles to innovation activities in Tunisian firms

In spite of the considerable effort of the works focused on the identification of conditions and factors favourable to innovation in developing countries, very few contributions concern the analysis of the obstacles impeding or slowing the process of innovation and factors affecting their perceptions. But, the innovation behaviour of firms can be affected by their assessment of barriers and difficulties encountered in the innovation process. This work is dedicated to the analysis of the perceived barriers to innovation activities in Tunisian firms, using the innovation survey developed by the Ministry of Scientific Research, Technology and Competency Development (MSRTDC) in 2005. It advocates a systemic approach to innovation policies which take into account established complementarities. We show that the perception of barriers to innovation is less pronounced for foreign firms and more important for exporters who face competitive pressures, leading to a high perception of barriers related to lack of information technology and lack of qualified personnel. To overcome the barriers to innovation related to excessive economic risks, high costs of innovation or lack of appropriate funding sources, our results suggest an important role of public participation and the foreign capital. Lack of financial resources is also one of the main barriers.Innovation, obstacles, développement