Intellectual property rights protection and export quality

Huiying Zhang and Xiaohui Yang

International Journal of Development Issues, 2016, vol. 15, issue 2, 168-180

Abstract: Purpose - This paper aims to investigate the impact of intellectual property rights (IPR) protection on its ability to enhance domestic export quality. Design/methodology/approach - This paper provides a testable framework to explain the impact of IPR protection on export quality. Research and development (R&D) spending and foreign direct investment (FDI) are positively correlated with a country’s export quality. Furthermore, intellectual property protection can induce more FDI and R&D spending. Therefore, the authors expect that there may be an indirect relationship between intellectual property protection and export quality (Figure 1). Findings - The empirical results suggest that the influence paths of IPR protection on export quality are different between developed and developing countries. FDI plays a mediating role in the relationship between IPR protection and export quality in developing countries, while this mediating effect in developed countries is dependent on R&D and FDI. In addition, this impact is statistically significant in high-technology industries. Especially, IPR protection plays an extraordinary important role in enhancing the export quality of differentiated high-technology products. Originality/value - This paper contributes to the literature in several ways. First, this is the first empirical analysis focusing on the influence path of IPR protection on export quality. The authors find that the hypothesis is supported by the positive and significant interaction coefficients of IPR protection with FDI and R&D. Second, the authors explore that the influence path of IPR protection on export quality may vary with the level of economic development. Third, this paper examines the effect of IPR protection on export quality in different industries.

Keywords: Industry; Country; Export quality; Intellectual property protection (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eme:ijdipp:v:15:y:2016:i:2:p:168-180

DOI: 10.1108/IJDI-11-2015-0071

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