The role of spillovers in R&D network formation

Lorenzo Zirulia

Economics of Innovation and New Technology, 2012, vol. 21, issue 1, 83-105

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to analyze the formation of R&D networks in a setting where spillovers between partners may be imperfect, due to knowledge tacitness, and partner-specific, depending on firms’ technological specializations. We find that firms have strong incentives to use the network to gain a competitive advantage and create ( ex post ) asymmetries. In the three firms case, in which one firm has unique technological capabilities, this firm gains a prominent position in the network, by forming an exclusive alliance and forcing into a weak position the firm outside the network. From a normative point of view, we find that the spillover rates do matter in determining the network that is optimal from the social point of view, and this network structure can be denser than the stable networks. In this case, the optimal policy would consist in active support to R&D cooperation.

Date: 2012
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/10438599.2011.557558 (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:ecinnt:v:21:y:2012:i:1:p:83-105

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.tandfonline.com/pricing/journal/GEIN20

DOI: 10.1080/10438599.2011.557558

Access Statistics for this article

Economics of Innovation and New Technology is currently edited by Professor Cristiano Antonelli

More articles in Economics of Innovation and New Technology from Taylor & Francis Journals
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chris Longhurst ().