Absorptive capacity, innovation cooperation and human-capital. Evidence from 3 European countries

Chiara Franco (), Alberto Marzucchi and Sandro Montresor ()
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Chiara Franco: Catholic University of Milan

No 2012-05, JRC Working Papers on Corporate R&D and Innovation from Joint Research Centre

Abstract: The paper aims at extending the analysis of the firms absorptive capacity (AC) by taking stock of its manifold nature. Innovation cooperation is recognised as one of its antecedents, along with R&D, but with different possible outcomes, depending on the kind of partner. Human capital is claimed to be as important as other organisational mechanisms for the AC impact on innovation. The empirical application, carried out on about 10,500 firms located in 3 EU countries (i.e. Germany, Italy and Spain), confirms the role of these factors. Interacting with research organisations, for example, increases the firms AC providing it occurs within the national boundaries. The transformation of AC into actual innovation is favoured by the human capital of the firm, while it is actually hampered by socialisation mechanisms of an organisational nature.

Keywords: Absorptive; capacity; Innovation; cooperation; Human; capital (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J24 O32 O33 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 38 pages
Date: 2012-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cse, nep-eur, nep-hrm, nep-ino, nep-knm and nep-sbm
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Working Paper: Absorptive capacity, innovation cooperation and human-capital. Evidence from 3 European countries (2012)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ipt:wpaper:201205

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