Transparency and firm innovation

Zhong, Rong (Irene)

Journal of Accounting and Economics, 2018, vol. 66, issue 1, 67-93

Abstract: Firm innovation drives both firm competitiveness and economic growth. Constructing a novel firm-patent panel database from 29 countries, I find that transparency directly boosts innovative effort by reducing managerial career concerns. This effect operates through transparency's implicit contracting role: it reduces the sensitivity of management turnover to poor innovative output. Transparency also increases innovative efficiency through its governance role in facilitating efficient allocation of R&D capital. Nonetheless, the benefit of transparency is fully offset in environments with greater proprietary cost. These findings illuminate the unique roles and mechanisms of transparency in promoting innovation incentives and outcomes.

Keywords: R&D; Career concern; Management turnover; Implicit contracting; Proprietary cost; Corporate governance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: G15 G30 M40 M41 N20 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (73)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jaecon:v:66:y:2018:i:1:p:67-93

DOI: 10.1016/j.jacceco.2018.02.001

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