104 research outputs found

    Further results on bias in dynamic unbalanced panel data models with an application to firm R&D investment

    Get PDF
    This paper extends the LSDV bias-corrected estimator in [Bun, M., Carree, M.A. 2005. Bias-corrected estimation in dynamic panel data models, Journal of Business and Economic Statistics, 23(2): 200-10] to unbalanced panels and discusses the analytic method of obtaining the solution. Using a Monte Carlo approach the paper compares the performance of this estimator with three other available techniques for dynamic panel data models. Simulation reveals that LSDV-bc estimator is a good choice except for samples with small T, where it may be unpractical. The methodology is applied to examine the impact of internal and external R&D on labor productivity in an unbalanced panel of innovating firms.Bias Correction, Unbalanced Panel Data, GMM, Dynamic Models

    Monte-Carlo comparison of alternative estimators for dynamic panel data models

    Get PDF
    This paper compares the performance of three recently proposed estimators for dynamic panel data models (LSDV bias-corrected, MLE and MDE) along with GMM. Using Monte-Carlo, we find that MLE and biascorrected estimators have the smallest bias and are good alternatives for the GMM. System-GMM outperforms the rest in ‘difficult’ designs. Unfortunately, bias-corrected estimator is not reliable in these designs which may limit its applicability.econometrics;

    What does it take for an R&D tax incentive policy to be effective?

    Get PDF
    While in 1996, 12 OECD countries offered R&D tax incentives, in 2008 this number increased to 21. Most countries have opted for level-based instead of incremental R&D tax incentives. This paper takes a critical look at how the effectiveness of R&D tax incentives has been assessed in recent evaluations. Whether based on structural models estimating a price elasticity of R&D or on treatment evaluation methods, most studies estimate the cost effectiveness ratio or additionality. If the cost effectiveness ratio is greater than 1, or firms to more R&D than before, the policy is considered to be effective. A more proper net welfare evaluation of this policy should also include administration, compliance and transfer costs, the marginal burden of taxation, as well R&D externalities and the indirect effects on innovation and productivity. The net welfare gain is shown to be sensitive to a certain number of parameters that are not always estimated with great precision. In particular, the transfer cost or deadweight loss associated with level-based tax incentives is shown to depend on the size of the firm, or more precisely its ex-ante R&D level. We report on the success of a past policy changes in the Netherlands and simulate the effect of various parameter changes in the existing Dutch R&D tax incentive scheme. We show that introducing marginal changes in the schemes's parameters has little impact of increased R&D spending. The policy is more effective for small firms than for large firms. We end with a discussion of the pros and cons of level-based versus incremental R&D tax incentives.R&D tax credits, R&D, tax credits, policy evaluation, cost-benefit analysis

    Wage effects of R&D tax incentives:Evidence from the Netherlands

    Get PDF
    This paper examines the impact of the Dutch R&D tax incentives program, known as WBSO, on the wages of R&D workers. In our model these wages are partly determined by the governments WBSO tax disbursements. We construct detailed firm- and time specific R&D tax credit rates as a function of the R&D tax incentives scheme to capture the wage effects of the government R&D support. An instrumentalvariables econometric model is estimated using an unbalanced firm-level panel data covering the period 1996-2004. After controlling for firm and industry effects and business cycle fluctuations, R&D tax incentives are found to increase R&D wages. The R&D wage effect of these incentives is smaller than their effect on real R&D investment, but it is still sizeable. The elasticity of the R&D wage with respect to the fraction of the wage supported by the WBSO scheme is estimated at 0.1.price effect of tax incentives, tax credits, panel data model, R&D workers, wages

    Measuring the Effectiveness of R&D tax credits in the Netherlands

    Get PDF
    This paper examines the impact of the Dutch R&D fiscal incentive program, known as WBSO, on R&D capital formation. Taking a factor-demand approach we measure the elasticity of firm R&D capital accumulation to its user cost. An econometric model is estimated using a rich unbalanced panel covering the period 1996-2004 with firm-specific R&D user costs varying with tax incentives. Using the estimated user cost elasticity, we examine the impact of the R&D incentive program. We find evidence that the program of R&D incentives in the Netherlands has been effective in reducing the user cost of R&D and in stimulating firms’ investment in R&D. Cette étude analyse l’effet du programme d’incitations fiscales à la recherche aux Pays-Bas, connu sous le nom de WBSO, sur la formation du capital de recherche. À partir d’une approche de demande de facteurs de production, nous mesurons l’élasticité du stock de capital de recherche au coût d’usage de la recherche. L’estimation économétrique se base sur un panel d’entreprises non-cylindré, couvrant la période 1996-2004, avec des coûts d’usage de la recherche variables. Nous trouvons que les incitations fiscales à la recherche ont effectivement baissé le coût d’usage de la recherche et ainsi stimulé les investissements en recherche et développement aux Pays-Bas.R&D tax credits; panel data; crowding out; user-cost elasticity., crédit d’impôt à la recherche, données panel, coût d’usage à la recherche, crowding-out.

    Measuring the Effectiveness of R&D Tax Credits in the Netherlands

    Get PDF
    This paper examines the impact of the Dutch R&D fiscal incentive program, known as WBSO, on R&D capital formation. Taking a factor-demand approach we measure the elasticity of firm R&D capital accumulation to its user cost. An econometric model is estimated using a rich unbalanced panel covering the period 1996-2004 with firm-specific R&D user costs varying with tax incentives. Using the estimated user cost elasticity, we examine the impact of the R&D incentive program. We find evidence that the program of R&D incentives in the Netherlands has been effective in reducing the user cost of R&D and in stimulating firms' investment in R&D.R&D tax credits, panel data, crowding out, user-cost elasticity, R&D, fiscal incentives

    Determinants of alliance portfolio complexity and its effect on innovative performance of companies

    Get PDF
    Alliance formation is often described as a mechanism used by firms to increase voluntary knowledge transfers. Access to external knowledge has been increasingly recognized as a main source of a firm's innovativeness. In this paper we examine decisions to form alliance portfolios of foreign and domestic partners by three groups of firms: innovators (firms that are successful in introducing new products to the market), imitators (firms that are successful at introducing new products, which are not new to the market) and product non-innovators. We consider an alliance portfolio that includes different partnership types (competitor, customer, supplier, university/research center). We develop a measure of portfolio complexity which we define as the number and diversity of elements of the alliance portfolio with which a firm must interact. We then estimate models that explain portfolio complexity and its impact on firm's innovative performance. Using panel data on more than 1800 firms in the Netherlands we find that foremost innovators have a strong propensity to form portfolios consisting of international alliances. Being an innovator or imitator also increases the propensity to form a portfolio of domestic alliances, relative to non-innovators; but this propensity is not stronger for innovators. Innovators appear to derive benefit from both intensive (exploitative) and broad (explorative) use of external information sources. The former sourcing is more important for innovators, while the latter for imitators. Finally, alliance complexity is found to have an inverse U-shape relationship to innovative performance.Innovation, R&D cooperation, Alliance portfolio

    Cooperative R&D and Firm Performance

    Get PDF
    We analyse the impact of R&D cooperation on firm performance differentiating between four types of R&D partners (competitors, suppliers, customers, and universities & research institutes), and considering two performance measures: labour productivity and productivity in innovative (new to the market) sales. Using data on a large sample of Dutch innovating firms in two waves of the Community Innovation Survey (1996, 1998), we examine the impact of R&D (collaboration) in 1996 on subsequent productivity growth in 1996-1998. We find that supplier and competitor cooperation have a significant impact on labour productivity growth, while competitor cooperation and collaboration with universities & research institutes positively affects growth in innovative sales per employee. Innovative sales are furthermore stimulated by incoming spillovers (not due to collaboration) from customers and universities. The results confirm a major heterogeneity in the rationales and goals of R&D cooperation, with competitor and supplier cooperation focused on incremental innovations improving the productivity performance of firms, while university cooperation and again competitor cooperation are instrumental in creating and bringing to market radical innovations generating sales or products that are novel to the market, improving the growth performance of firms.research and development ;

    Testing for complementarity and substitutability in case of multiple practices

    Get PDF
    A number of recent empirical studies of firm-level productivity (growth) have been concerned with establishing potential complementarity between multiple organizational design practices. These papers have drawn conclusions on basis of the effect of the interaction term between each possible pair of practices. In this paper we show that this approach may lead to misleading results in case more than two practices are considered. We develop a proper testing procedure for complementarity and substitutability in case there are multiple organizational practices that affect output. The testing methodology is illustrated by empirical examples of three and four innovation practices affecting productivity. The testing framework can easily be applied to test for supermodularity.industrial organization ;

    The Productivity Effects of Internal and External R&D: Evidence From a Dynamic Panel Data Model

    Get PDF
    We examine the impact of internal and external R&D on labor productivity in a 6-year panel of Dutch manufacturing firms. We apply a dynamic linear panel data model that allows for decreasing or increasing returns to scale in internal and external R&D and for economies of scope. We find complementarity between internal and external R&D, with a positive impact of external R&D only evident in case of sufficient internal R&D. These findings confirm the role of internal R&D in enhancing absorptive capacity and hence the effective utilization of external knowledge. The scope economies due the combination of internal and external R&D are accentuated by decreasing results to scale at high levels of internal and external R&D. The analysis indicates that on average productivity grows by increasing the share of external R&D in total R&D.R&D, Innovation, Complementarity, Panel Data
    corecore