R&D, firm size and incremental product innovation

Marco Corsino, Giuseppe Espa and Rocco Micciolo

Economics of Innovation and New Technology, 2011, vol. 20, issue 5, 423-443

Abstract: This article addresses an issue that is debated in the economics of innovation literature, namely the existence of increasing returns to R&D expenditures and firm size, in product innovation. It explores further how the firm's structural characteristics and contextual factors affect the sustained introduction of new components over a relatively long time period. Taking advantage of an original and unique database comprising information on new product announcements by leading semiconductor producers, we show that: (i) decreasing returns to size and R&D expenditures characterize the innovation production function of the sampled firms; (ii) producers operating a larger product portfolio exhibit a higher propensity to introduce new products than their specialized competitors; (iii) aging has positive bearings on the firm's ability to innovate.

Keywords: R&D; firm size; product innovation; semiconductor industry (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (14)

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DOI: 10.1080/10438599.2011.562354

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