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on Technology and Industrial Dynamics |
| By: | Adam Jaffe (Motu Economic and Public Policy Research); Trinh Le (Motu Economic and Public Policy Research) |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the impact of government assistance through R&D grants on innovation output for firms in New Zealand. Using a large database that links administrative and tax data with survey data, we are able to control for large number of firm characteristics and thus minimise selection bias. We find that receipt of an R&D grant significantly increases the probability that a firm in the manufacturing and service sectors applies for a patent during 2005–2009, but no positive impact is found on the probability of applying for a trademark. Using only firms that participated in the Business Operation Survey, we find that receiving a grant almost doubles the probability that a firm introduces new goods and services to the world while its effects on process innovation and any product innovation are relatively much weaker. Moreover, there is little evidence that grant receipt has differential effects between small to medium (<50 employees) and larger firms. These findings are broadly in line with recent international evidence from Japan, Canada and Italy which found positive impacts of public R&D subsidy on patenting activity and the introduction of new products. |
| Keywords: | Industrial policy, innovation, R&D |
| JEL: | O31 O34 O38 |
| Date: | 2015–05 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mtu:wpaper:15_08&r=tid |
| By: | De Marchi V.; Giuliani E.; Rabellotti R. (UNU-MERIT) |
| Abstract: | The GVC approach has stressed that inter-firm linkages within GVCs can play a crucial role in transferring technological knowledge and promoting innovation. However, the exact nature of these GVC inter-firms relationships, and their impact on the learning and innovative processes of firms involved in such GVCs in developing countries is still controversial and rather understudied. In this paper we argue that to investigate whether and how firms involved in GVCs as well as industrial clusters, regions and countries innovate, scholars should not focus entirely on GVC characteristics and the role of lead firms, but they also should take into account domestic technological capabilities at the firm, industrial cluster/regional and local innovation system-levels. In this study we undertake a systematic review of the literature on GVCs in developing countries to investigate if and how innovation has been undertaken at the local level. With cluster analysis, we have identified three types of GVCs, defined as a GVC-led Innovators, consisting of innovative local firms, which intensively use knowledge sources from within the GVC; b Independent Innovators also consisting of innovative firms, but whose learning sources mainly come from outside the GVC; c Weak Innovators, including a large group of scarcely innovative firms, drawing selectively on some of the knowledge sources available within the GVC but poorly using other forms of learning. |
| Keywords: | Industrialization; Manufacturing and Service Industries; Choice of Technology; International Linkages to Development; Role of International Organizations; Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes; Technological Change: Government Policy; |
| JEL: | O14 O19 O33 O38 |
| Date: | 2015 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:unm:unumer:2015022&r=tid |
| By: | Ivan Haščič; Mauro Migotto |
| Abstract: | This paper refines indicators to measure innovation in environment-related technologies, drawing on recent methodological advances that allow a more accurate assessment of environment-related innovation in a broader range of countries and covering a greater variety of the relevant technologies. Three indicators are discussed in the paper: an indicator of technology development (a measure of inventive activity) in over 80 specific environmental technologies; an indicator of international collaboration in technology development (a measure of co-invention); and an indicator of technology diffusion (a measure of market protection). These indicators provide a range of tools for assessing innovative performance in country and policy studies. The indicators are based on patent data because they have a number of attractive properties compared to other alternatives: they are widely available, quantitative, commensurable, output-oriented and capable of being disaggregated – an important advantage when analysing environmental technologies. At the same time, not all innovations or inventions are patented, and measuring the number of patents by itself does not provide an indication of their relative importance and impact. Techniques have been developed to overcome these limitations, yet it is important to carefully interpret patent-based indicators. |
| Keywords: | innovation, indicators, environmental technologies |
| JEL: | O3 O31 O34 O38 Q2 Q4 Q5 |
| Date: | 2015–06–26 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:envaaa:89-en&r=tid |
| By: | Alstadsaeter, Annette; Barrios, Salvador; Nicodème, Gaëtan; Skonieczna, Agnieszka Maria; Vezzani, Antonio |
| Abstract: | Patent boxes have been heavily debated for their role in corporate tax competition. This paper uses firm-level data for the period 2000-2011 for the top 2,000 corporate research and development (R&D) investors worldwide to consider the determinants of patent registration across a large sample of countries. Importantly, we disentangle the effects of corporate income taxation from the tax advantage of patent boxes. We also exploit a new and original dataset on patent box features such as the conditionality on performing research in the country, and their scope. We find that patent boxes have a considerable effect on attracting patents, mostly because of their favourable tax treatment, especially for high-quality patents. Patent boxes with a large scope in terms of tax base definition also have stronger effects on the location of patents. The size of the tax advantage offered through patent box regimes is found to deter local innovative activities, whereas R&D development conditions tend to attenuate this adverse effect. Our simulations show that, on average, countries imposing such development conditions tend to grant a tax advantage that is slightly greater than optimal from a local R&D impact perspective. |
| Keywords: | corporate taxation; location; nexus approach; patent boxes; patents; R&D |
| JEL: | F21 F23 H25 H73 O31 O34 |
| Date: | 2015–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:10679&r=tid |
| By: | Roula Inglesi-Lotz (Department of Economics, Democritus University of Thrace, Greece) |
| Abstract: | The severity of investment in Research and Development (R&D) in the energy sector is undisputable especially considering the benefits of new technologies to sustainability, security and environmental protection. However, the nature and potential of various energy technologies that are capable to improve the energy and environmental conditions globally is a challenging task for governments and policy makers that have to make decisions on the allocation of funds in R&D. To do so, the optimal resource allocation to R&D should be determined by estimating the social rate of return for R&D investments. This paper aims to estimate the social rate of return of R&D on various energy applications and technologies such as energy efficiency, fossil fuels, renewable energy sources, and nuclear for the G7 countries. The results show that primarily R&D investment on Energy Efficiency technologies and Nuclear are the ones that yield high social benefits for all G7 countries while exactly the opposite holds for Fossil fuels. |
| Date: | 2015–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pre:wpaper:201549&r=tid |