Evaluating the Impact of Technology Development Funds in Emerging Economies: Evidence from Latin America

Bronwyn Hall and Alessandro Maffioli ()

No 108, OVE Working Papers from Inter-American Development Bank, Office of Evaluation and Oversight (OVE)

Abstract: The paper surveys impact evaluations of government Technology Development Funds (TDF) in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Panama. All the evaluations were done at the recipient (firm) level using data from innovation surveys, industrial surveys, and administrative records of the granting units, together with quasi-experimental econometric techniques to minimize the effects of any selection bias. TDF effectiveness is found to depend on the financing mechanism used, on the presence of non-financial constraints, on firm-university interaction, and on the characteristics of the target beneficiaries. The surveyed evaluations considered four levels of potential impact: R&D input additionality, behavioural additionality, increases in innovative output, and improvements in performance. The evidence suggests that TDF do not crowd out private investment and that they positively affect R&D intensity. In addition, participation in TDF induces a more proactive attitude of beneficiary firms towards innovation activities. However, the analysis does not find much statistically significant impact on patents or new product sales and the evidence on firm performance is mixed, with positive results in terms of firm growth, but little corresponding positive impact on measures of firm productivity.

Keywords: Innovation and R&D; Policy Evalution (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O32 O38 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 41 pages
Date: 2008-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ino, nep-ipr, nep-pr~, nep-ltv, nep-ppm and nep-tid
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (126)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Evaluating the impact of technology development funds in emerging economies: evidence from Latin America (2008)
Working Paper: Evaluating the Impact of Technology Development Funds in Emerging Economies: Evidence from Latin-America (2008)
Working Paper: Evaluating the Impact of Technology Development Funds in Emerging Economies: Evidence from Latin-America (2008)
Working Paper: Evaluating the Impact of Technology Development Funds in Emerging Economies: Evidence from Latin America (2008)
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