|
on Economics of Strategic Management |
|
Issue of 2025–06–09
nine papers chosen by João José de Matos Ferreira, Universidade da Beira Interior |
| By: | Nobuya FUKUGAWA |
| Abstract: | Universities, embedded within regional innovation systems, promote entrepreneurship through intermediary functions, including resource provision, consulting, and networking. Drawing on perspectives from entrepreneurial ecosystems and innovation intermediation, this study examines how the effectiveness of these university functions varies according to regional innovation contexts and institutional types. The analysis integrates comprehensive panel data from 1, 027 universities (2019–2023) with detailed patent and basic research funding databases. Fixed-effects negative binomial regression models with lagged independent variables are employed to control for unobserved time-invariant heterogeneity and to mitigate simultaneity bias. The results show that basic research capacity is consistently and positively associated with startup formation, highlighting its foundational role in academic entrepreneurship. However, the effects of other support functions are highly context-dependent: human resource and knowledge service linkages promote startup activity only when universities are embedded within innovation agglomerations. Investor linkages show no significant overall effect but become positively associated with startup formation in peripheral regions where access to capital is limited. These findings underscore the need for differentiated, ecosystem-sensitive intermediation strategies and highlight the importance of aligning university support mechanisms with the structure and maturity of surrounding innovation environments. |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:eti:dpaper:25044 |
| By: | Meier, Andre Klaus; Kock, Alexander |
| Abstract: | Firms increasingly apply agile approaches in their development processes, and therefore researchers started investigating how agility affects innovation performance. However, previous research on agility often only considers software development or approaches the concept only from an outcome perspective (i.e. increased adaptability to changes) instead of from a capability perspective (i.e. how to organise for adaptability to be successful). Consequently, research failed to investigate how the organisation of agile research and development (R&D) units in physical new product development (NPD) affects innovation performance. We apply structural equation modelling on 162 R&D units in a large industrial firm and analyse the interplay of agile R&D units' organisation, the resulting agility, front‐end success and NPD success. Moreover, we consider contingency factors of environmental turbulence. The study extends research on agility's neglected capability perspective in innovation management, thus providing a better understanding of agility's relationship with innovation performance and showing managers how to increase their unit's NPD success. |
| Date: | 2025–05–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dar:wpaper:154762 |
| By: | Bachmann, Federico; Kataishi, Rodrigo |
| Abstract: | This study conducts a comprehensive meta-regression analysis to examine the relationship between firm size and innovative performance, utilizing 95 empirical studies published between 1993 and 2017. By incorporating 655 econometric estimations from these studies, we aim to identify key factors contributing to the heterogeneity observed in the empirical literature. Our findings confirm a positive average effect of firm size on innovative performance, reinforcing the theoretical expectation that larger firms tend to be more innovative due to economies of scale and greater resource availability. However, this relationship is moderated by various contextual and methodological factors that affect results, such as the measures used for firm size and innovation, the type of innovation considered (product or process), and the geographic context (developed or developing countries). This study contributes to the literature by presenting one of the most comprehensive meta-analyses on this topic to date, introducing new moderator variables, and offering deeper insights into the sources of heterogeneity. The results not only reinforce the most common hypotheses on the size-innovation relationship but also provide a nuanced understanding of the variations in empirical results. By highlighting the importance of measurement choices and firm characteristics in understanding the firm size-innovation nexus, this study offers valuable guidance for future research, enabling a more refined approach to investigating this complex relationship. |
| Keywords: | Tamaño de la Empresa; Innovación; Análisis de Regresión; Investigación y Desarrollo; 1993-2017; |
| Date: | 2025–05–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nmp:nuland:4327 |
| By: | Wadho, Waqar; Chaudhry, Azam |
| Abstract: | We estimate the impact of international standards certification on the export performance of firms in a developing economy using a unique panel data from Pakistan's textile and apparel sector. To address endogeneity, we implement a novel instrumental variable strategy that leverages the prevalence of certified non-rival firms within the same district as an exogenous source of variation in certification adoption. We find that certification significantly increases the likelihood of exporting by 44 percentage points, raises export volumes by nearly ten times, and boosts annual export growth by 68 percent. We, then, explore the underlying mechanisms and find that certification facilitates product diversification, enhances knowledge networks, promotes both product and process innovation, and yields significant gains in labor productivity. However, certification does not lead to greater product complexity, suggesting that while it results in horizontal expansion and strengthens external linkages, it is not sufficient for vertical upgrading. |
| Keywords: | ISO, standards certification, export, technological innovation, productivity |
| JEL: | L14 L15 F14 M21 O31 J24 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:glodps:1611 |
| By: | Riku Watanabe |
| Abstract: | This study introduces two heterogeneous industries into an endogenous growth model in a circular economy. In our model, there are two types of industries, brown industries using exhaustible resources for production, and green industries using recycled goods which are reproduced from the used final good by a recycling firm. Each industry switches the state as a result of R&D activities for innovation and greening. Innovation improves the level of productivity and occurs in both industries. In contrast, only firms in brown industries invest in R&D activities for greening, which transfers the brown industries toward the green industries. This paper examines the effect of recycling and the share of green industries on the growth rate. We show that an increase in the recycling rate does not have a negative effect on the economy, and improves the welfare of households. |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dpr:wpaper:1286 |
| By: | Sergio Palomeque |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the processes of generating new technical knowledge, aim- ing to contribute to an understanding of how less developed economies can diversify their knowledge base to support economic development. We study the structure of relatedness of required knowledge between technologies at a global level, conceived as a network where technologies are connected according to the intensity with which they co-occur in the inventors’ portfolios. Based on this, topological characteristics of the network are studied using node-level metrics to propose diversification strate- gies that alleviate the lock-in effects suffered by less developed economies. The paper contributes to the literature by proposing two indicators that can be used to analyse relevant dimensions of the innovation system of cities in less developed regions. One of the indicators enables us to compare the levels of stability of the technologies that comprise the knowledge base of the cities. The second provides a measure of the level of alternatives available to the city for each diversification decision. The results, based on the analysis of Latin American cities, show that the stability of the technologies present in a city, as well as the alternatives available to choose its diversification path, are relevant to designing diversification strategies that could contribute to overcoming the constraints generated by the characteristics of the knowledge base of those cities. |
| Keywords: | relatedness; innovation systems; patents; cities; Latin America; Evolu- tionary Economic Geography |
| JEL: | B52 D85 O31 O32 O34 |
| Date: | 2025–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:egu:wpaper:2515 |
| By: | muhammad islam, Muqeem |
| Abstract: | The evolution of innovation dates back to ancient civilizations and continues to shape modern economies through high-tech advancements. Reverse engineering—a process of deconstructing and enhancing technologies—has been instrumental in industrial growth worldwide, notably in countries like China and Japan. Pakistan’s potential in leveraging reverse engineering remains underutilized, hindered by outdated infrastructure, inadequate R&D investments, weak institutional frameworks, and fragmented policies. Initiatives like STZs and the Digital Pakistan Policy offer promise but suffer from misaligned execution. This study underscores the transformative potential of reverse engineering in Pakistan’s defense, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and renewable energy sectors. By fostering academia-industry-government collaboration, improving infrastructure, and adopting global best practices, Pakistan can bridge its technological gaps, enhance export competitiveness, and reduce its import dependency. A robust reverse engineering strategy will catalyze innovation, strengthen industrial output, and pave the way for long-term economic sustainability and self-reliance. |
| Keywords: | Reverse engineering, innovation, economic sustainability, high-tech industries Pakistan |
| JEL: | O2 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:124837 |
| By: | Hyejin Ku (University College London); Tianrui Mu (University College London) |
| Abstract: | This paper examines how China’s growing research capabilities impact global research universities across scientific fields. Using bibliometric data from 1980 to 2020, we assess the effects of the “China shock†on high-impact publications, novel concepts, and citation patterns. Our analysis reveals a positive net effect in Chemistry and Engineering & Materials Science (EMS), but a negative effect in Clinical & Life Sciences (CLS). In other fields, the effects are mostly positive but imprecise. We highlight the coexistence of competition and spillover effects, with their relative strength shaped by field characteristics, such as expansion potential and the quality of China’s research. |
| Keywords: | China shock in science, knowledge production, ideas, competition, spillovers |
| JEL: | J24 I23 O31 |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:crm:wpaper:2513 |
| By: | Diego A. Comin; Danial Lashkari; Martí Mestieri |
| Abstract: | We document the structural transformation of innovation using historical patent data since the 1850s, along with R&D expenditure and TFP growth for the post-war period. Over time, innovation has shifted from agricultural sectors to manufacturing, and, more recently, to services. We develop and quantify a multi-sector semi-endogenous growth model of structural change in innovation and production, incorporating the classical demand-pull and technology-push drivers of innovation. Sectors differ in their innovation technologies, and the extent to which they benefit from knowledge spillovers (technology-push). Nonhomothetic demand shifts the market shares toward income-elastic sectors along the growth process (demand-pull). A calibrated version of our model replicates the structural transformations of innovation and production observed in the US data. Using the model, we evaluate the future impact of Baumol’s disease on aggregate productivity and find it to be minimal. Our results suggest that aggregate productivity growth may recover in the coming decades as the service sector becomes increasingly innovation-driven. |
| JEL: | E02 O1 O4 O5 |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:33855 |