Assessing the returns to collaborative research: Firm-level evidence from Italy

Giuseppe Medda, Claudio Piga and Donald Siegel

Economics of Innovation and New Technology, 2006, vol. 15, issue 1, 37-50

Abstract: We use firm-level data from Italian manufacturing firms to assess the relationship between various types of R&D and total factor productivity growth, including collaborative research with other firms and universities. A novel twist to our empirical analysis is that we estimate a sample selection model, which allows us to treat the decision to conduct R&D as endogenous. We find strong evidence of positive returns to collaborative research with other companies, whereas collaborative research with universities does not appear to enhance productivity. This result implies that firms may conduct R&D with universities when appropriability conditions are weak and the outcomes of such research projects do not yield direct strategic benefits.

Keywords: R&D; Collaborative research; Total factor productivity; Sample selection bias (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2006
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (26)

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DOI: 10.1080/1043859042000332213

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