Robot adoption and product innovation

Davide Antonioli, Alberto Marzucchi, Francesco Rentocchini and Simone Vannuccini

Research Policy, 2024, vol. 53, issue 6

Abstract: We investigate the unexplored relationship between robot technology adoption and product innovation. We exploit Spanish firm-level data on robot adoption and use a staggered timing difference-in-differences, supported by an instrumental variable approach. Instead of an enabling effect, we find a negative association between robot adoption and the probability to introduce product innovations, as well as their number. The result is particularly significant for larger, established, and non-high-tech firms. In line with industry evolution models, we rationalise and interpret the findings suggesting that a key mechanism at work in the robotisation-innovation nexus are diseconomies of scope fuelled by capacity-increasing investments. We also discuss whether industrial robots in our data feature enabling capabilities at all. Our results have important implications for understanding the role of robots in firms' operations and strategies, as well as for policy design.

Keywords: Robots; Automation; Product innovation; Industry evolution (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D22 O31 O32 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:respol:v:53:y:2024:i:6:s0048733324000519

DOI: 10.1016/j.respol.2024.105002

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