Innovation Effects of Universities of Applied Sciences: an Assessment of Regional Heterogeneity

Tobias Schlegel, Curdin Pfister, Dietmar Harhoff () and Uschi Backes-Gellner

No 161, Economics of Education Working Paper Series from University of Zurich, Department of Business Administration (IBW)

Abstract: The literature on the economics of science and technology shows that academic universities - institutions focusing on basic research - positively affect innovation activities in regional economies. Less is known about the innovation effects of universities of applied sciences (UASs) - bachelor-granting three-year colleges teaching and conducting applied research. Furthermore, the evidence for positive innovation effects is predominantly based on average effects, while heterogeneity in innovation effects due to the economic environment is far less considered. By exploiting a public policy development in Switzerland that led to the quasi-random establishment of UASs, we investigate the regional heterogeneity in innovation effects of these UASs. We rely on patent and business census data and analyze the influence and importance of three economic preconditions-labor market size, labor market density and high tech intensity—on innovation effects of UASs. Our results show that only regions with a large or a dense enough labor market or with an above average high tech intensity experience significant innovation effects of UASs. Comparing the relative importance of the three economic preconditions, we find that labor market size is the most important factor that drives heterogeneity in innovation effects of UASs.

Keywords: Higher Education Research Institutions; Innovation; Public R&D; Regional Heterogeneity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I23 O31 O32 R11 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 84 pages
Date: 2019-02, Revised 2021-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cse, nep-eur, nep-geo, nep-ino, nep-sbm, nep-tid and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Innovation effects of universities of applied sciences: an assessment of regional heterogeneity (2022)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:iso:educat:0161

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