TY  - CONF
AV  - public
N2  - The role of international agricultural research centers (IARCs) has long been a
subject of discussion, often with emphasis that they should conduct research that
produces international public goods (IPGs). However, centers still face a dilemma on
how to balance between IPGs and location-specific work. This paper contributes to
the development of principles by which they should position themselves. Transaction
cost economics was applied to develop a framework, which is then illustrated with an
empirical case study of legume research at the International Crops Research Institute
for the Semi-Arid Tropics. A participatory mapping technique (Net-Map) was
combined with key informant interviews in India, Malawi and Ethiopia. We find that
IARCS play an important role in germplasm improvement, the field in which they
have a comparative advantage. However, due to insufficient capacity of national
systems, they also engage in downstream activities. This reduces incentives for
governments and donors to overcome governance challenges.
UR  - http://oar.icrisat.org/9138/
SP  - 01
Y1  - 2015/08//
T2  - International Association of Agricultural Economists
EP  - 39
TI  - The "Efficient Boundaries" of International Agricultural Research: A Conceptual Framework with Empirical Illustrations
ID  - icrisat9138
A1  - Kamanda, J
A1  - Birner, R
A1  - Bantilan, C
KW  - CGIAR
KW  -  Agricultural innovation
KW  -  Comparative advantage
KW  -  Research spillovers
KW  -  Transaction costs
M2  - Milan, Italy
ER  -