The elusive impact of R&D grants on firm productivity

This paper evaluates the effectiveness of R&D subsidies, provided by the European Regional Development Funds, on firms’ productivity. Using detailed longitudinal firm-level data covering the period 2007-2019, we employ state of the art differences-in-differences estimators to evaluate the impacts of R&D grants. Positive causal effects on gross value added and labour productivity are discernible for micro- and small-sized firms participating in co-promotion but not in individual projects. However, these effects seem to be elusive. No evidence of a positive effect of these grants on firm performance for medium- and large-sized firms or for individual R&D projects is found. This investigation contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the relative effectiveness of productivity enhancement programs.The authors acknowledge the funding by National Funds of the FCT - Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, project UIDB/03182/2020

Can productivity growth measures identify best performing hospitals? Evidence from the English National Health Service

Health care systems around the world face limited financial resources, England is no exception. The ability of the health care system in England to operate within its financial resources depends in part on continually increasing its productivity. One means of achieving this is to identify and disseminate throughout the system the most efficient processes. We examine the annual productivity growth achieved by 151 hospitals over five financial years, using the same methods developed to measure productivity of the National Health Service as a whole. We consider whether there are hospitals which consistently achieve higher than average productivity growth. These could act as examples of good practice for others to follow and provide a means of increasing system performance. We find that the productivity growth of some hospitals over the whole period exhibits better than average performance, but there is little or no evidence of consistency in the performance of these hospitals over adjacent years. Even the best performers exhibit periods of very poor performance and vice versa. We therefore conclude that accepted methods of measuring productivity growth for the health system as a whole do not appear suitable for identifying good performance at the hospital level

TURBULENCE IN INDUSTRIAL POPULATIONS: THE CASE OF THE ITALIAN GRAPHIC PAPER INDUSTRY

Significant and persistent flows of entry and exit, that is, turbulence, are a common feature of most industries, across countries and over time. By means of a new database for the Italian graphic papermaking industry between 1964 and 2004, this research inquires into the extent and character of entry and exit in an industry where innovation in products and processes has been incremental and largely predictable and, therefore, unlikely to be the main driving force of firm turbulence. The first part of the thesis deals with methodological issues concerning compilation of the thesis’ database, which records, annually, plants’ and firms’ major demographic events, attributes and proprietary linkages, thus allowing comparison between the dynamics of plants and firms throughout the reference period. Special attention was given to avoid measurement distortions that would have risen from using business register administrative files. The second part focuses on what factors are more likely to affect survival prospects of plants and firms. Using logistical analysis, econometric results confirm that plant exit has been determined by efficiency of its equipment, diversification strategy of the proprietary firm and, unexpectedly, its organizational history. Using survival analysis, econometric results reveal that the risk of exit for firms is lowered by pursuit of external growth strategies (acquisition of plants), concentration of production into graphic paper and being equipped with modern machinery. The third part examines the effects of firm turbulence on the evolution of concentration in the industry. The data show that acquisitions have been an important source of turnover among the leading companies and that a significant portion of the leading companies has been relatively new. The analysis also indicates that at least some turbulence has led to instability of market shares among the leading firms

Empirical Essays on the Cost Efficiency and Economic Regulation of Hospitals in the National Health Service in England

Rising global healthcare expenditures, the fallout from the global financial crisis and a commitment to improving patient outcomes have increased pressure on the budget of the National Health Service (NHS) in England to unprecedented levels. Therefore, ensuring services are delivered efficiently is key both politically and economically. In the context of the NHS, the large share of spending in secondary care means that this area is well analysed in the literature. However, the scale of the savings needed requires that both (a) more research is needed to identify further possible gains; and (b) the potential for improvement that has been identified by these studies is captured. To these ends, there are two specific aims of this thesis. The first is to examine the regulation of NHS hospital efficiency. Drawing from health care and other sectors of the economy, a number of lessons for regulators to promote hospital efficiency in the NHS and beyond are proposed. The second is to look to areas of hospital activity for which empirical evidence on efficiency is limited to identify further available gains. Many studies in the UK and beyond have sought to measure efficiency in health: the so-called “supply” of efficiency analysis is booming. However, despite their potential, the use of these studies has been limited in the NHS. In response to this, this thesis seeks to answer some of the methodological and practical issues raised around efficiency measurement and its application to the setting of NHS hospital efficiency targets. How these findings are useful more widely to health care systems around the world is also discussed

\u3ci\u3eThe Symposium Proceedings of the 1998 Air Transport Research Group (ATRG), Volume 3\u3c/i\u3e

UNOAI Report 98-5https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/facultybooks/1157/thumbnail.jp