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on Small Business Management |
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Issue of 2026–02–23
twenty-six papers chosen by João Carlos Correia Leitão, Universidade da Beira Interior |
| By: | Haufe, Mathilde; Hottenrott, Hanna; Rodepeter, Elisa; Schoonjans, Eline |
| Abstract: | Entrepreneurship is essential for innovation and economic growth. Newly founded companies contribute to innovation and technology diffusion and increase pressure on incumbent firms to innovate. In Germany, migrant entrepreneurs play an increasingly important role in the entrepreneurial landscape. Their integration into this ecosystem is not only essential for fostering inclusive economic growth, but migrant founders also display a comparatively higher propensity for innovation. Based on data and insights from the IAB/ZEW Start-up Panel, this policy brief highlights the characteristics of and challenges for migrant entrepreneurs to understand how future policy frameworks could be designed to make better use of their potential. We find that while young migrant-founded firms are often opportunity-driven, have high growth ambitions, and are innovative, they are constrained in their access to external capital and have to rely more frequently on their founders' and their families' resources. These findings suggest that frictions in financing young firms hamper migrant entrepreneurship in Germany and that there is room to address these constraints through targeted policies facilitating access to support programmes and bank financing. |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:zewpbs:336902 |
| By: | Haotian Deng; Sam Desiere; Bart Cockx; Gert Bijnens (-) |
| Abstract: | This paper studies how employment subsidies for start-ups shape their performance. We exploit an unexpected policy reform in Belgium that permanently exempted start-ups hiring their first employee from payroll taxes for that employee. Using firm-level administrative data and a regression-discontinuity-in-time design, we find that subsidized post-reform startups employed fewer workers and generated lower output, value added, and profits compared to pre-reform start-ups. However, post-reform start-ups were more likely to survive as employers. These effects emerged within the first year after hiring and remained stable over a medium horizon of three years. Our findings indicate a compositional shift: the subsidy primarily induced low-productivity firms to enter the market. As most firms nowadays are nonemployers, our results meaningfully generalize the theoretical implications of standard neoclassical entrepreneurship models (employee–employer margin) and fill the important gap of the nonemployer–employer margin. |
| Keywords: | entrepreneurship, start-up, employment subsidy, tax reduction, labor demand, small firms |
| JEL: | H25 J23 J24 J38 L25 L26 M51 |
| Date: | 2026–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:rug:rugwps:26/1135 |
| By: | Thibault Mirabel (Capital Collectif); Aurélien Quignon (ICN Business School) |
| Abstract: | This article examines the relationship between employee ownership and technological innovation. The impact of worker cooperatives' democratic governance on innovation is debated-some highlight financial constraints and slow decision-making as disadvantages, while others emphasize participatory structures and knowledge-sharing as advantages for innovation. Using a balanced panel of French worker cooperatives from 2014 to 2018, we find nuanced relationship: the share of worker-owners among workers positively influences innovation, whereas the share of worker-owners among owners negatively impacts innovation, providing empirical evidence for both the advantage and disadvantage hypotheses. Regional spillover effects also play a significant role. These findings challenge the notion that worker cooperatives are inherently less innovative than conventional firms and highlight the importance of ownership distribution and external conditions in shaping innovation outcomes. |
| Keywords: | Employee ownership, Worker participation, Worker cooperative, Innovation, Entrepreneurship |
| Date: | 2025–12–22 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05430064 |
| By: | Traversa, Marina |
| Abstract: | Can a recession have a positive, long-term impact on firm innovation? A downturn represents an opportunity for firms to learn from their peers and try to understand the main drivers of resilience. If they deem R&D capital one of them, they may raise innovation in the following years, in order to be better shielded from future crisis. In this paper, I provide evidence of this effect in the aftermath of the Great Recession. I do so by assuming that firms learned from their best peers and by examining the characteristics of these companies. I first look at their level of R&D capital and find that firms with high-R&D best peers raised intangible investment 5 percent more than others after 2008. I then examine the top competitors' type of R&D capital and show that companies raised innovation only in the case of high-productivity (as opposed to high-product differentiation) best peers. Using alternative tests, I find a positive (negative) relationship between productivity (product differentiation) and company performance during the crisis, which supports the fact that companies learned from their peers and raised innovation only when they deemed it a source of resilience to the downturn. Finally, I examine whether the increase in innovation improved firm resilience and show that it did: companies raised sales growth, profitability and international recognition and were less likely to fail. |
| Keywords: | Corporate Finance, Innovation, Learning, Resilience, Productivity, Product Differentiation |
| JEL: | G30 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:safewp:336815 |
| By: | A.Y. de Costa (University of Moratuwa); Vathsala Wickramasinghe (University of Moratuwa) |
| Abstract: | The confluence of innovative activities and leadership styles significantly influences the trajectory of organizational performance in Sri Lanka's information technology (IT) sector. Understanding the complex interactions between leadership behaviors and innovation is crucial for sustaining development and competitiveness in the face of the sector's rapid technical improvements, globalization, and changing consumer needs. This quantitative research delves into the intricate interplay between entrepreneurial leadership style, which has shown its potential to stimulate innovative thinking and risk-taking behaviors among employees, and exploratory innovation with a moderating effect of intrinsic motivation and environmental dynamism. Utilizing a sample size of 157 participants from the IT sector of Sri Lanka, the findings reveal that entrepreneurial leadership style has a significant positive relationship with explorative innovation. Furthermore, intrinsic motivation is found to be a significant negative moderator between entrepreneurial leadership and exploratory innovation. Environmental dynamism is found to positively moderate the relationship between entrepreneurial leadership and exploratory innovation. These results shed light on the nuanced influences of entrepreneurial leadership style, intrinsic motivation, and environmental dynamism on innovation activities in the IT sector, offering valuable insights for organizational leaders and policymakers seeking to foster a culture of innovation in dynamic environments. |
| Keywords: | Industrial and organizational psychology, Management science, Work motivation, Innovation, Leadership, Workplace innovation, Leadership and innovation, Moderating effects, Innovation performance, Employee motivation, Innovation management, Leadership styles, Environmental dynamism, Intrinsic motivation, Exploratory innovation, Entrepreneurial leadership |
| Date: | 2024–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05480065 |
| By: | Vathsala Wickramasinghe (University of Moratuwa) |
| Abstract: | This study examines whether organizational culture influences employees to seek alternative job opportunities and explores the moderating effect of firm size on the relationship between organizational culture and job search effort. Conducted in Sri Lanka, the research focuses on employees from small, medium, and large private firms, categorized by the number of persons employed. A total of 252 valid responses were analyzed. The findings reveal that organizational culture significantly impacts employees' job search effort and that firm size plays a moderating role in this relationship. |
| Keywords: | Industrial and organizational psychology, Employee engagement, Job-seeking behavior, Human resources management practices, Employee motivation, SME, firm size, job search effort, organizational culture |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05482825 |
| By: | Masami Imai; Koji Sakai; Michiru Sawada |
| Abstract: | Distortions in credit allocation can slow technological progress by sustaining unproductive firms and generating congestion that crowds out innovation from otherwise healthy firms. We study this mechanism using Japan’s banking crisis of the 1990s, linking firm-level borrowing data to the universe of patent applications with more than fifteen years of historical citation outcomes. Innovation declines more in technology fields facing greater credit distortion, with effects substantially larger for forward citations than for patent counts. Firm-level evidence reveals persistently low innovation by zombie firms and reduced innovation by healthy firms operating in zombie-intensive industries, consistent with congestion effects. |
| Date: | 2026–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:tcr:wpaper:e220 |
| By: | Hasan Murat ErtuÄŸrul (Anadolu University); Ömer Tugsal Doruk (Adana Alparslan TürkeÅŸ Science and Technology University); Ömer Faruk Tekdogan (University of Ankara) |
| Abstract: | This study investigates the impact of the informal sector on firm performance for over 10.000 nonfinancial firms operating in the 8 MENA countries covering 1997-2020 periods. Using a Panel Dynamic Generalized Method of Moments (GMM), we find that the effect of the informal sector on firm performance is negative. These estimates seem strong according to robustness check. We also do the analysis for SMEs and non-SMEs and find that SMEs are more sensitive to the informal sector. In terms of its findings, the study sheds new light on the MENA region by analyzing the relationship between informal economy and firm performance in a highly heterogeneous manner. |
| Date: | 2025–12–17 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:erg:wpaper:1814 |
| By: | Vathsala Wickramasinghe (University of Moratuwa); N. Madhusanka (University of Moratuwa) |
| Abstract: | The purpose of the study was to investigate factors that contribute to the success of technology transfers. The specific objectives were to investigate 1) technological capabilities acquired by recipient firms through the technology transfer at the project level, 2) contributory factors that influence technology transfer, and 3) whether technological capabilities acquired by recipient firms are affected by these contributory factors. The study was conducted in Sri Lanka. The study developed a set of success factors and performance indicators to assess technological capabilities acquired by technology recipient firms. The study found two main types of technological capabilities gained by recipient firms through the technology transfer -"converting and acquiring capability" and "vending, modifying and generating capability". Further, the study found five contributing factors for technology transfer -process management, intended use of technology, transfer components, technology needs analysis, and IP protection and licensing. It is also found that all five contributing factors significantly positively predict both types of technological capabilities gained by recipient firms through technology transfer. The findings of the study presented in this paper make valuable contributions to the existing literature on technology management and technology transfer. |
| Keywords: | Innovation performance, Science and technology policy, Research and development, Knowledge management, Technology adoption, Innovation ecosystems, Commercialization of technology, Innovation diffusion, technology transfer, international technology transfer, Technology transfer success, Knowledge transfer |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05482866 |
| By: | Weinrich, Arndt |
| Abstract: | Exploiting granular European innovation data and the introduction of nexus requirements to patent boxes, I find that tightening access to preferential tax treatment of innovation output reduces inventive activity. A stylized framework and firm-reported constraints both point to internal funding as the binding mechanism. Consistently, effects appear on both the extensive margin, lowering the number of innovating firms, and the intensive margin, reducing resources devoted to innovation. Externally organized innovation declines relative to in-house activity, and innovation quality declines modestly. Spillover analyses indicate innovation decreases reflect forgone rather than reallocated innovation. Findings inform tax policy design and corporate innovation strategies. |
| Keywords: | nnovation, International Taxation, Patent Box, Nexus Requirements |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:arqudp:336789 |
| By: | Jihwan Joo (Koea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade) |
| Abstract: | The petrochemicals and steel industries are currently experiencing oversupply conditions, which are expected to persist over the medium term. In South Korea, business conditions have cast a spotlight on the Special Act on Corporate Revitalization, and specifically its provisions that support corporate restructuring. At present, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) actively utilize the program.<p> However, current economic conditions require fundamental pan-industrial structural transformation, and such a transformation must feature participation by large enterprises and mid-sized firms in addition to SMEs. It is essential to reform relevant laws and institutional frameworks and to strengthen practical incentives to encourage participation by large enterprises or mid-sized firms and enhance the overall effectiveness and industrial impact of the restructuring program.<p> To achieve this, the government should offer more customized support for large enterprises, promote cooperative partnerships between large and small firms, and launch a foundation designed to facilitate collaborative business restructuring efforts as well as mergers and acquisitions. |
| Keywords: | corporate restructuring; Special Act on Corporate Revitalization; SACR; oversupply; South Korea |
| JEL: | K22 K23 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ris:kieter:022206 |
| By: | Rai, Sabhya |
| Abstract: | Accumulated entrepreneurial experience, as a form of human capital, plays a critical role in shaping current venture revenue. Building on insights from entrepreneurship and human capital theory, the study establishes a causal inverted U-shaped relationship between prior entrepreneurial experience and current revenue. By providing an observable measure of financial performance, the analysis helps investors identify ventures whose co-founders fall within an optimal experience range to maximize financial and strategic returns, and guides entrepreneurs in assembling founding teams with experience profiles that enhance revenue and investment prospects. To address endogeneity, it employs Caetano et al.'s (2023) control function approach, leveraging 'bunching' at zero average venture experience to isolate the effect from potential confounders. The findings reveal that in ventures with three co-founders (the most common team size), each additional prior venture increases current revenue by approximately 10%, up to a combined average of 13 prior ventures across the founding team. Beyond this threshold, additional experience yields diminishing returns on performance. |
| Keywords: | Human capital, venture performance, bunching |
| JEL: | J24 M13 C21 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:glodps:1711 |
| By: | Pau Roldan-Blanco; Tom Schmitz; Christian Fons-Rosen |
| Abstract: | Innovative startups are frequently acquired by large incumbents. Such acquisitions have recently come under scrutiny, as policymakers suspect that incumbents might acquire startups just to "kill" their ideas. However, acquisitions also provide an incentive for startup creation, and have ambiguous effects on incumbents' own innovation. This paper assesses the net effect of these forces. To do so, we build an endogenous growth model with heterogeneous multi-product firms and startup acquisitions, and calibrate its parameters to match micro-level evidence from the United States. Our calibrated model implies that taxes on startup acquisitions lower the startup rate, but increase incumbent innovation as well as the implementation rate of startup ideas. Banning killer acquisitions, a policy that appears desirable in partial equilibrium, yields virtually no welfare gains in general equilibrium. The optimal policy instead imposes high taxes on startup acquisitions (reducing their frequency by more than half) and raises consumption-equivalent welfare by 0.48%. |
| Keywords: | acquisitions, firm dynamics, innovation, Productivity Growth |
| JEL: | O30 O41 E22 |
| Date: | 2026–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bge:wpaper:1560 |
| By: | Amir, Muhammad Sikander; Ali, Amjad; Audi, Marc |
| Abstract: | This study investigates the impact of artificial intelligence investment on firm profitability in Pakistan’s accounting, finance, and external audit sectors by introducing a composite metric called adjusted artificial intelligence investment. The data of 28 Pakistani firms from 2020 to 2024 has been used for empirical analysis. The research integrates technological infrastructure, cybersecurity risk, and regulatory support into a unified econometric framework. The study is anchored in the technology acceptance model and the resource-based view theory to explain the strategic value and adoption dynamics of artificial intelligence. Using panel least squares, fixed effects, and random effects regressions, the results consistently reveal that adjusted artificial intelligence investment and technological infrastructure significantly enhance firm profitability, while cybersecurity risk negatively influences it. Regulatory support exhibits mixed effects, being negatively associated in pooled models but positively in fixed effects analysis, highlighting the contextual role of governance frameworks. These findings carry significant implications for multiple stakeholder groups. For firm managers, the results underscore the importance of adopting a strategic, infrastructure-backed approach to AI implementation, prioritizing integration with secure digital environments. Policymakers must move beyond generic regulatory frameworks and instead focus on designing sector-specific policies that promote innovation without compromising compliance. Investors, too, can benefit from evaluating AI maturity as a key indicator of future profitability. Therefore, the study not only confirms the financial value of AI but also highlights the ecosystem-level support needed to realize its full potential. This research fills a key gap by holistically evaluating artificial intelligence's role in shaping firm performance in a developing economy context and offers actionable insights for businesses and regulators aiming to enhance profitability through technological integration. |
| Keywords: | Artificial Intelligence, Firm Profitability, Accounting, Technological Infrastructure, Cybersecurity, Regulatory Support |
| JEL: | O3 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:127314 |
| By: | Cagin Keskin |
| Abstract: | Horizontal expansion through an expanding product portfolio lies at the core of modern endogenous growth literature. However, evidence remains limited on how diversification across industries influences a firm's trade-off between generating social surplus and maximizing private returns. To investigate this, I categorize intangible assets by their spillovers: transferable intangibles (patents, software) generate social surplus, whereas embedded intangibles (organizational capital, brand value) primarily yield private returns. I document that diversified firms reallocate investment toward embedded intangibles, while at the same time having lower markups and productivity, as well as less competitive threats. Motivated by this evidence, I extend a canonical endogenous-growth framework to endogenize firms'allocations between transferable and embedded intangibles, allowing for both horizontal and vertical expansion. A key prediction of the model is that embedded intangibles are freely mobile across a firm's production lines; therefore, this mobility generates increasing returns to scale as the firm diversifies, which also raises entry barriers for competitors and decreases the social surplus, rather than promoting long-run growth. Thus, a shift in innovative effort ultimately sacrifices economy-wide growth for firm-level market advantages, and quantitative analysis indicates that size-dependent taxes can substantially improve welfare. |
| Keywords: | Schumpeterian growth, step-by-step innovation, intangibles, firm dynamics, span of control |
| JEL: | E22 O31 O32 O33 O34 |
| Date: | 2026–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cer:papers:wp811 |
| By: | A. de Costa (University of Moratuwa); Vathsala Wickramasinghe (University of Moratuwa) |
| Abstract: | The study investigated whether transformational leadership influences exploratory innovation and intrinsic motivation and environmental dynamism moderate this relationship. While leadership's impact on innovation has been broadly studied, specific effects of transformational leadership on exploratory innovation are underexplored in the literature. Further, the roles of intrinsic motivation and environmental dynamism as moderators are not fully explained in the literature. The study conducted in Sri Lanka intends to fill these gaps in the extant literature. A survey was conducted to collect data and statistical analyses were performed to test the hypothesized relationships. Findings revealed transformational leadership's significant positive effect on exploratory innovation. Moreover, intrinsic motivation and environmental dynamism were found to significantly moderate this relationship. Environmental dynamism amplifies the direct effect of transformational leadership on exploratory innovation, particularly in highly dynamic contexts. The study contributes to the theoretical understanding of transformational leadership's role in exploratory innovation and provides practical strategies for organizations to navigate the complexities of a rapidly changing technological landscape. |
| Keywords: | Management science, Industrial and organizational psychology, Transformational leadership, Leadership and innovation, Innovation performance, Employee motivation, Innovation management, Leadership, Leadership styles, intrinsic motivation, exploratory innovation, Environment dynamism |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05482851 |
| By: | Kässi, Otto; Wang, Maria |
| Abstract: | Abstract This policy brief analyses the level and structure of business support measures related to the green transition in Finland in a European comparative perspective. Finland ranks among the EU countries with the highest level of green transition support when business subsidies are measured relative to GDP. However, a high level of support alone does not indicate the steering or incentive effects of subsidy policy. A comparison with other EU countries shows that Finland’s support system places greater emphasis on cost-compensating instruments, whereas in many large member states support is more directly targeted at investment projects and technological transformation. The available empirical evidence does not so far indicate that the main Finnish support instruments have had significant effects on firms’ investment activity, productivity growth, or long-term competitiveness, despite their substantial fiscal cost. At the same time, assessing the overall impact of the support system is complicated by the fact that subsidies are concentrated on large and financially strong firms, for which suitable comparison groups are difficult to identify. The policy brief highlights that the central challenge of green transition support policy lies in the structure of support measures and in evaluating their effectiveness, rather than in the overall level of support. |
| Keywords: | Green Transition Subsidies, State Subsidies, Environmental Policy Funding, Industrial Policy |
| JEL: | H23 H25 H81 Q58 O38 |
| Date: | 2026–02–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:rif:briefs:174 |
| By: | Armstrong, Christopher; Glaeser, Stephen; Park, Stella; Timmermans, Oscar |
| Abstract: | We study how the assignment of intellectual property rights between inventors and their employers affects innovation. Incomplete contracting theories predict that stronger employer property rights reduce the threat that employee inventors hold up their employers, thereby affecting inventor and invention outcomes. We test these predictions using a U.S. appellate court ruling that shifted the assignment of property rights from inventors to their employers. Within-employer-year analyses demonstrate that affected inventors are less likely to retain patent rights, assign patents to new employers, or leave their current employer, all consistent with reduced inventor ability to hold up their employers. Due to the reduced possibility of hold-up, affected inventors’ innovations are revealed more promptly when disclosed, draw from a broader set of prior patents, and spread more to subsequent patents. If affected inventors do leave their employer, they are more likely to relocate to unaffected states. Furthermore, employers affected by the ruling are more likely to locate their inventors in agglomeration economies and alter their innovation strategy by reallocating activity across states and expanding their innovation portfolios. Our collective evidence suggests that shifting intellectual property rights to employers affects inventor and invention outcomes by reducing the threat of employee hold-up from the employer's perspective. |
| Keywords: | corporate-innovation; disclosure; employee mobility; hold-up; incomplete contracts; employer-specific investment; corporate innovation |
| JEL: | J41 J61 O30 |
| Date: | 2026–01–08 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:130648 |
| By: | Vergara-Perucich, Francisco; Aguirre-Nuñez, Carlos |
| Abstract: | This paper examines how housing tokenization is discursively framed in Chile's digital public sphere, assessing whether it promotes affordability or reinforces financialization. Using a methodology that combines natural language processing, topic modeling, sentiment analysis, and semantic network analysis, the study analyzes content from 34 websites - including fintech startups, media outlets, and real estate firms - scraped and processed in R. Results show that tokenization is largely portrayed through a techno-optimistic lens focused on investment, trust, and digital innovation. Sentiment analysis highlights dominant emotional tones of "trust" and "anticipation, " while topic modeling identifies four themes: return performance, platform ecosystems, asset commodification, and user empowerment. These narratives, however, tend to obscure critical perspectives on equity and governance. Despite limitations related to data bias and cultural nuance, the study offers a replicable method for analyzing technological discourses and raises important questions about the policy implications of financial innovation in emerging markets. |
| Keywords: | financial innovation, blockchain, real estate, token, financialization |
| JEL: | G23 R31 O33 O16 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:iedlwp:336691 |
| By: | Melise Bouroullec-Machado (EI Purpan - Ecole d'Ingénieurs de Purpan - Comue de Toulouse - Communauté d'universités et établissements de Toulouse, AGIR - AGroécologie, Innovations, teRritoires - EI Purpan - Ecole d'Ingénieurs de Purpan - Comue de Toulouse - Communauté d'universités et établissements de Toulouse); Amanda Ferreira Guimarães (LEREPS - Laboratoire d'Etude et de Recherche sur l'Economie, les Politiques et les Systèmes Sociaux - UT Capitole - Université Toulouse Capitole - Comue de Toulouse - Communauté d'universités et établissements de Toulouse - UT2J - Université Toulouse - Jean Jaurès - Comue de Toulouse - Communauté d'universités et établissements de Toulouse - Institut d'Études Politiques [IEP] - Toulouse - ENSFEA - École Nationale Supérieure de Formation de l'Enseignement Agricole de Toulouse-Auzeville); Marie Dervillé (LEREPS - Laboratoire d'Etude et de Recherche sur l'Economie, les Politiques et les Systèmes Sociaux - UT Capitole - Université Toulouse Capitole - Comue de Toulouse - Communauté d'universités et établissements de Toulouse - UT2J - Université Toulouse - Jean Jaurès - Comue de Toulouse - Communauté d'universités et établissements de Toulouse - Institut d'Études Politiques [IEP] - Toulouse - ENSFEA - École Nationale Supérieure de Formation de l'Enseignement Agricole de Toulouse-Auzeville, ENSFEA - École Nationale Supérieure de Formation de l'Enseignement Agricole de Toulouse-Auzeville); Marie-Benoit Magrini (AGIR - AGroécologie, Innovations, teRritoires - EI Purpan - Ecole d'Ingénieurs de Purpan - Comue de Toulouse - Communauté d'universités et établissements de Toulouse) |
| Abstract: | The economic literature views contractual arrangements as essential tools for securing supply chain and managing risk within agri-food value chain. Recent research, combined with insights from transition studies, has advanced the idea that they can also serve as instruments for developing new, more sustainable value chains. In the context of agri-food systems transitions, this requires rethinking contractual arrangements between producers, processors, and retailers. This paper introduces what we call Niche-Regime Contractual Arrangements (NiReCa), defined as adaptive coordination mechanisms structuring interactions between niche-innovations (farmer-led initiatives) and regime (incumbent dairies). Drawing on Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) and New Institutional Economics (NIE) -particularly Transaction Cost Economics (TCE) -we propose a three-phase analytical framework: (1) the emergence of niche-innovations, shaped by sustainability ambitions and internal coordination mechanisms;(2) the evolution of NiReCa patterns; and (3) the institutionalisation of NiReCa and their role in reshaping the architecture of agri-food systems through empowerment dynamics.Empirically, using a qualitative methodology, the study draws on seven cases to analyse crosscase patterns. The findings highlight three major dynamics: (1) dairy farmers-led nicheinnovations leverage regional branding and innovative contractual arrangements to regain economic agency; (2) tensions between farmer-led niche-innovations and incumbent dairies require flexible strategies, including informal agreements and strategic alliances; (3) small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a key role in supporting dairy system transitions by facilitating news projects and offering alternative enabling transitions by offering alternative processing and market access. NiReCa are not merely tools for securing fairer remunerationthey are fundamental drivers of structural change. By enabling coordination between diverse actors, they foster contractual innovations that balance economic resilience with sustainability goals. These findings contribute to agri-food economics by showing how contractual adaptations mediate structural transformations in food systems. |
| Keywords: | Agri-Food System Transformation, Dairy Value Chains, Contractual Innovation, Farmer-led Initiatives |
| Date: | 2025–08–26 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05489309 |
| By: | Bothner, Jonathan; Lopez-Garcia, Paloma; Momferatou, Daphne; Setzer, Ralph |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates the relationship between institutional and regulatory quality, and high-tech sector investment. Using data from 25 European Union (EU) countries from 2004 to 2019 (extended to 2023 for artificial intelligence-specific analyses), the study examines how institutional governance, labour market regulations, and business regulations influence investments in innovative, high-tech, and artificial intelligence-intensive sectors. The findings reveal that better institutional quality and less burdensome regulations are associated with higher investment shares in innovative, high-tech, and artificial intelligence industries. Raising EU countries’ institutional and regulatory quality to the level of the current EU frontier could raise the share of investment in high-technology sectors by as much as 50%, hence notably narrowing the existent EU-US investment gap. These results highlight the importance of effective governance and efficient regulations in fostering investment, innovation, and therefore long-term productivity growth. JEL Classification: C23, E02, L51, O38 |
| Keywords: | artificial intelligence, innovation, institutional quality, investment, regulatory frameworks, risky technology |
| Date: | 2026–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ecb:ecbwps:20263185 |
| By: | Banri ITO; Naoto JINJI; Megumi NAOI |
| Abstract: | This paper uses an original firm survey conducted in the context of “Trump Tariffs 2.0†to document how firm attributes are associated with (i) the incidence and intensity of tariff impacts and (ii) the predictability and content of firms’ responses. Three findings emerge. First, reported impacts are widespread among exporters to the U.S. and are particularly pronounced for firms engaged in related-party (intra-firm) exports to the U.S., consistent with the fixed nature of internal transactions and practical constraints related to rules of origin, pricing, and regulatory compliance. Moreover, even among firms with low direct exposure to North American exports, those located further upstream in supply chains tend to report larger impacts, suggesting supply-chain spillovers that are not captured by direct export measures alone. Second, responses are strongly associated with firm size (sales), and adjustment appears more advanced among large, high-productivity firms. Third, regarding response choices, firms with intra-firm exports to the U.S. show a stronger relative preference for localization through foreign direct investment (FDI), whereas arms-length exporters tend to favor price/cost adjustments; firms exporting to China and Asia are more likely to pursue portfolio rebalancing through third-country shifts (including deeper reorientation within the region). From a policy perspective, beyond broad-based mitigation, strengthening firms’ adaptive capacity—especially by easing fixed costs and organizational constraints faced by smaller firms—and expanding practical support for third-country expansion are warranted. |
| Date: | 2026–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:eti:rdpsjp:26008 |
| By: | Rodríguez-Pose, Andrés; You, Zhuoying |
| Abstract: | Few studies have examined the economic consequences of deploying artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics in less-developed cities, where policies have often failed. To address this gap, we analyse a panel of 270 Chinese cities (2009–2019) using OLS, IV-2SLS, and quantile regression techniques. We find that AI and robotics significantly promote technological innovation in China, with especially pronounced implications for cities at or below the technological frontier. These technologies also enhance the returns to science and technology (S&T) investment. Its novelty lies in framing AI and robotics as policy substitutes and tools for narrowing innovation divides among Chinese cities. |
| Keywords: | AI; robotics; technological innovation; Chinese cities |
| JEL: | O31 O33 R11 R58 |
| Date: | 2026–02–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:137040 |
| By: | Joris Ebbers; Wouter Stam (UvA - Universiteit van Amsterdam = University of Amsterdam); Tom Elfring (EM - EMLyon Business School) |
| Abstract: | In this study, we therefore address the following research question: How do entrepreneurs in ESOs capture and create value through different types of peer ties, and what explains why some act as givers while others act as takers? We investigate this question in the context of an incubator. Specifically, we examine three types of direct ties related to knowledge exchange (ideas for product development, information about market trends, and management advice) and four types of referral ties through which incubatees gain potential new contacts (customers, suppliers, personnel, and investors). Our research not only explores how incubatees capture value by being the receivers (or "takers") of knowledge and referrals but also identifies which incubatees create value for their peers by acting as providers (or "givers") of these resources. To analyze this bi-directionality (Bergman and McMullen, 2022), we use social network analysis and identify takers and givers through incubatees' out-degree and in-degree network centrality. To explain heterogeneity in network positions, we build on the idea that networking actions represent effectual responses to uncertainty (Engel et al., 2017). In particular, we examine how founder-, venture-, and market-level sources of uncertainty drive incubatees' network structures and outcomes. |
| Keywords: | incubator, network, entrepreneur, venture, Entrepreneurial support organization |
| Date: | 2025–11–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05489670 |
| By: | Julien Viguier (MRM-RH - Montpellier Research in Management - Ressources Humaines - MRM - Montpellier Research in Management - UPVD - Université de Perpignan Via Domitia - UM - Université de Montpellier, MRM-MPR - Management et Pratiques Responsables - MRM - Montpellier Research in Management - UPVD - Université de Perpignan Via Domitia - UM - Université de Montpellier) |
| Abstract: | A Group of Employers (GE): an organization that pools jobs for its network of members: very small businesses (TPEs), small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), associations, and inter-municipal bodies (EPCIs). This network benefits from employees made available on a part-time basis, either on permanent or fixed-term contracts, for single or multiple assignments. Due to their size, most GEs do not have a Works Council (CSE) and therefore no institutionalized social dialogue. However, discussions about work are frequent and informal. This professional dialogue is based on actual work and reflects organizational ambidexterity through its process of integrating skills development and exploration. It fosters trust between stakeholders and generates shared responsibility and organizational citizenship. |
| Abstract: | Un GE : organisation qui mutualise des emplois pour son réseau d'adhérents : des TPE-PME, des associations et des EPCI. Ce réseau bénéficie de salariés mis à disposition à temps partagé en CDI ou en CDD, en mono ou multi mises à disposition. Par leurs tailles, les GE n'ont pas, pour la plupart, de Comité Social Économique (CSE) et donc de dialogue social institutionnalisé. Cependant, les échanges sur le travail sont fréquents et peu formalisés. Ce dialogue professionnel s'appuie sur le travail réel et relève d'une ambidextrie organisationnelle par son processus d'intégration de l'exploitation et de l'exploration des compétences. Il permet de la confiance entre les parties prenantes et est générateur d'une co-responsabilité et d'une citoyenneté organisationnelle. |
| Keywords: | Paradoxe, ambidextrie contextuelle, dialogue professionnel, capacité d'agir, responsabilité |
| Date: | 2025–10–22 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05472433 |
| By: | Achraf Khallouli (University of La Manouba); Rim Mouelhi (University of La Manouba) |
| Abstract: | The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of intrinsic characteristics of startups, mainly, founders' characteristics (such as education, professional experience, and network) and business-related characteristics (such as product category and industry), on their performance. The study uses data from a portfolio of 51 startups belonging to a Tunisian Venture Capital firm to analyze the aforementioned impact. Performance is measured by revenue, raised funds, survival, and the firm's team assessment. The study deploys Multiple Linear Regression, Binary Logistic Regression, and Proportional Odds Logistic Regression to analyze the data. The findings contribute to the development of a framework for evidence-based investment decisions within the Venture Capital industry. The results highlight the importance of factors such as the quality of the university attended by founders, the repeat entrepreneur status, and the founder’s being full-time on the startup in predicting performance. |
| Date: | 2025–12–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:erg:wpaper:1812 |