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on Innovation |
| By: | P. AGHION (Collège de France, LSE et PSE); A. BERGEAUD (Banque de France et CEP); M. LEQUIEN (Insee, Banque de France et PSE); M.J. (Harvard et NBER) |
| Abstract: | We analyze how demand conditions faced by a firm in its export markets impact its innovation decisions. To disentangle the direction of causality between export demand and innovation, we construct a firm-level export demand shock which responds to aggregate conditions in a firm's export destinations but is exogenous to firm-level decisions. Using exhaustive data covering the French manufacturing sector, we show that French firms respond to exogenous growth shocks in their export destinations by patenting more; and that this response is entirely driven by the subset of initially more productive firms. The patent response arises 2 to 5 years after a demand shock, highlighting the time required to innovate. In contrast, the demand shock raises contemporaneous sales and employment for all firms, without any notable differences between high and low productivity firms. We show that this finding of a skewed innovation response to common demand shocks arises naturally from a model of endogenous innovation and competition with firm heterogeneity. The market size increase drives all firms to innovate more by increasing the innovation rents; yet by inducing more entry and thus more competition, it also discourages innovation by low productivity firms. |
| Keywords: | Innovation, export, demand shocks, patents |
| JEL: | D21 F13 F14 F41 O30 O47 |
| Date: | 2020 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nse:doctra:g2020-11&r= |
| By: | Attila Havas (Centre for Economic and Regional Studies, Institute of Economics) |
| Abstract: | The choice of indicators to measure innovation processes and assess performance is of vital significance. This paper argues that those economic theories give a more accurate, more reliable account of innovation activities that follow a broad approach of innovation, that is, consider all knowledge-intensive activities leading to new products (goods or services), processes, business models, as well as new organisational and managerial solutions, and thus take into account various types, forms and sources of knowledge exploited for innovation by all sorts of actors in all economic sectors. In contrast, the narrow approach to innovation focuses on the so-called high-tech goods and sectors. The broad approach is needed to collect data and other types of information, on which sound theories can be built and reliable and comprehensive analyses of innovation activities can be offered to decision-makers to underpin public policies and company strategies. |
| Keywords: | Schools of economics; Mainstream economics; Evolutionary economics of innovation; Measurement of innovation; Composite indicators; Scoreboards, league tables |
| JEL: | B52 C80 O31 O38 Y10 |
| Date: | 2019–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:has:discpr:1921&r= |
| By: | Daunfeldt, Sven-Olov (Institute of Retail Economics (Handelns Forskningsinstitut)); Halvarsson, Daniel (the Ratio Institute); Gustavsson Tingvall, Patrik (Södertörn University Stockholm, Sweden); McKelvie, Alexander |
| Abstract: | Most previous studies on the employment effects of government R&D grants targeting SMEs are characterized by data-, measurement-, and selection problems, making it difficult to construct a relevant control group of firms that did not receive a R&D grant. We investigate the effects on employment and firm-level demand for high human capital workers of two Swedish programs targeted towards growth-oriented SMEs using Coarsened Exact Matching. Our most striking result is the absence of any statistically significant effects. We find no robust evidence that the targeted R&D grant programs had any positive and statistically significant effects on the number of employees recruited into these SMEs, or that the grants are associated with an increase in the demand for high human capital workers. The lack of statistically significant findings is troublesome considering that government support programs require a positive impact to cover the administrative costs associated with these programs. |
| Keywords: | Innovation policy; R&D grants; Matching grants; Statistical matching methods; High human capital; Firm growth; Outcome additionality |
| JEL: | H81 L25 L26 O38 |
| Date: | 2021–10–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:hfiwps:0023&r= |
| By: | Aurelio Patelli; Lorenzo Napolitano; Giulio Cimini; Andrea Gabrielli |
| Abstract: | Using ideas and tools of complexity science we design a holistic measure of \textit{Scientific Fitness}, encompassing the scientific knowledge, capabilities and competitiveness of a research system. We characterize the temporal dynamics of Scientific Fitness and R\&D expenditures at the geographical scale of nations, highlighting patterns of similar research systems, and showing how developing nations (China in particular) are quickly catching up the developed ones. Down-scaling the aggregation level of the analysis, we find that even developed nations show a considerable level of inequality in the Scientific Fitness of their internal regions. Further, we assess comparatively how the competitiveness of each geographic region is distributed over the spectrum of research sectors. Overall, the Scientific Fitness represents the first high quality estimation of the scientific strength of nations and regions, opening new policy-making applications for better allocating resources, filling inequality gaps and ultimately promoting innovation. |
| Date: | 2021–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2110.01615&r= |
| By: | KELCHTERMANS Stijn; KARDAS Marcin; KLINCEWICZ Krzysztof |
| Abstract: | The report analyses the progress of Member States in the implementation of national and regional smart specialisation strategies (RIS3) in 2017 through an assessment of policy developments, progress in implementation of the different strategies, monitoring mechanisms and observed impacts. Using publicly available data as well as an expert survey, the analysis shows that in most countries RIS3 processes have been conducted at both national and regional levels. The use of thematic priorities for research and innovation, engaging stakeholders and opening up to bottom-up initiatives often implied a radical change to previous policymaking practices. An analysis of RIS3 indicators suggests that a proper ‘priority taxonomy’ is lacking, raising doubts whether countries and regions are truly selective in setting priorities, whether they align the priority setting process between the national and regional level and whether the resulting set of priorities is really a factor of differentiation for countries and regions. The impact of RIS3 as a policy paradigm appears more pronounced among the moderate and modest innovators. The report concludes by highlighting the need for more granular indicators to analyse RIS3 priorities as well as their implementation and impact. |
| Keywords: | smart specialisation strategies, RIS3 |
| Date: | 2021–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ipt:iptwpa:jrc125959&r= |