Innovation Strategies, External Knowledge and Productivity Growth

Christopher Baum, Hans Lööf () and Pardis Nabavi

No 885, Boston College Working Papers in Economics from Boston College Department of Economics

Abstract: This paper studies firms’ capability to recombine internal and local knowledge. It measures the outcome in terms of total productivity growth. Using Swedish data on commuting time for face-to-face contacts across all 290 municipalities, we employ a time sensitive approach for calculating localized knowledge within a municipality and and its close neighbors. Internal knowledge is captured by register data on firms’ innovation intensity. The two sources of knowledge are modelled in a production function setting by discrete composite variables with different combinations of input factors. Applying the model on Swedish firm level panel data, we find strong evidence of differences in the capacity to benefit from external knowledge among persistent innovators, temporary innovators and noninnovators. The results are consistent regardless of whether innovation efforts are measured in terms of the frequency of patent applications or the level of R&D investment.

Keywords: Innovation strategies; localized knowledge; patents; TFP growth; panel data (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C23 O31 O32 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015-11-01, Revised 2017-12-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cse, nep-eff, nep-geo, nep-ino, nep-sbm, nep-tid and nep-ure
Note: Previously circulated as "Innovation, Spillovers and Productivity Growth: A Dynamic Panel Data Approach"
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Innovation strategies, external knowledge and productivity growth (2019)
Working Paper: INNOVATION STRATEGIES, EXTERNAL KNOWLEDGE AND PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH (2018)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:boc:bocoec:885

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