|
on Knowledge Management and Knowledge Economy |
|
Issue of 2011‒08‒29
one paper chosen by Laura Stefanescu European Research Centre of Managerial Studies in Business Administration |
| By: | C. Fritz Foley; William R. Kerr |
| Abstract: | This paper studies the impact that immigrant innovators have on the global activities of U.S. firms by analyzing detailed data on patent applications and on the operations of the foreign affiliates of U.S. multinational firms. The results indicate that increases in the share of a firm's innovation performed by inventors of a particular ethnicity are associated with increases in the share of that firm's affiliate activity in their native countries. Ethnic innovators also appear to facilitate the disintegration of innovative activity across borders and to allow U.S. multinationals to form new affiliates abroad without the support of local joint venture partners. Thus, this paper points out that immigration can enhance the competitiveness of multinational firms. |
| JEL: | F22 F23 J44 J61 O31 O32 O33 O57 |
| Date: | 2011–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:17336&r=knm |