Does history matter for the relationship between R&D, Innovation and Productivity?

This paper analyzes the relationship between R&D expenditures, innovation and productivity growth, taking into account the possibility of persistence in firms’ behaviour. We study this relationship for a sample of Spanish manufacturing firms between 1990 and 2005, estimating a model with four equations: participation in technological activities, R&D intensity, the generation of innovations and the impact of these technological outputs on total factor productivity growth. Our results reflect the existence of true state dependence both in the decision of R&D investment and in the production of innovations. The omission of this persistence leads to an overestimation of the current impact of innovations on productivity growth. However, the presence of persistence in technological inputs and outputs entails current R&D activities having long–run effects on a firm’s productivity.CDM model, productivity growth, persistence in R&D and innovation.

Markups, bargaining power and offshoring: An empirical assessment

This paper tests the pro-competitive effect of imports on product and labour markets for Spanish manufacturing firms in the period 1990-2005. In doing so, it takes into account the type of imported products: final vs intermediate. Markups are estimated following the procedure suggested by Roeger (1995) and including an efficient bargaining model. The observed heterogeneity among firms is parameterized to consider additional product standardization and market concentration. The results support the Imports as Market Discipline hypothesis for importers of final goods, while firms that offshore intermediate inputs show similar markups to non-importers. Additionally, the union bargaining power is smaller the more final-goods oriented imports are and the more homogeneous is the type of goods elaborated by firms.Markups, Offshoring, Bargaining power.

The obstacle problem for the infinity fractional laplacian

Given g an α-H¨older continuous function defined on the boundary of a bounded domain Ω and given ψ a continuous obstacle defined in Ω, in this article, we find u an α-H¨older extension of g in Ω with u ≥ ψ. This function u minimizes the α-H¨older semi-norm of all possible extensions with these properties and it is a viscosity solution of the associated obstacle problem for the infinity fractional Laplace operator.Fil: Moreno Mérida, Lourdes. Universidad de Granada; EspañaFil: Vidal, Raúl Emilio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Centro de Investigación y Estudios de Matemática. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Centro de Investigación y Estudios de Matemática; Argentin

Interpreting markups in Spanish manufacturing: the exponential model

In this paper we attempt to rationalize markups in a sample of Spanish manufacturing by assuming a representative consumer, profit-maximizing firms and constant returns to scale. We find that the standard forms of demand (CES and linear) do not provide a good explanation of markups. In contrast, a model where the representative consumer has an exponential utilty function yields results that match data more closely.

Pricing to Market at firm level

This paper tries to contribute to the renewed literature about price differences across countries (the so-called border effect). Specifically, it analyzes the reasons underlying changes in relative prices across export/domestic markets for an open economy. The theoretical benchmark, based on the existence of Pricing to Market strategies, also takes into account some hypotheses about the effects of demand variations and market power on prices. The empirical analysis, using firm panel data for the nineties, points out the positive (though small) impact of the exchange rate on the evolution of price ratio. Additionally, the results also suggest a procyclical behavior of prices in both markets, which is positively affected by the degree of competition. Though data do not allow an in-depth analysis, some hypothesis in terms of foreseeable effects of the European Monetary Union on relative prices are provided.

Domestic and foreign price-marginal cost margins: an application to Spanish manufacturing firms

The objective of this paper is to analyse the differences in price-marginal cost margins of the export and domestic markets by the estimation of a multiproduct cost function. We apply this method to a panel of Spanish export manufacturing firms from the period 1990-1997. Some results emerge from the estimations. First, price-marginal cost margins in domestic markets are larger than foreign margins throughout the period. Second, price-marginal cost margins are procyclical in the domestic market but there is no evidence of this behaviour in the foreign markets. Third, there is no evidence that export firms used the devaluation of the currency to increase their margins. Finally, price-cost margins reveal some degree of heterogeneity across industries in both markets.Marginal cost, price-cost margins, translog cost function, export firm

Determinantes de las importaciones españolas de productos industriales procedentes de la C.E.

El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar los factores determinantes de las importaciones españolas de productos industriales procedentes de la Comunidad Europea en el período 1978-1989. Para ello, se estima una función de demanda de importaciones con datos de panel, lo que permite obtener elasticidades precio para catorce sectores industriales. Adicionalmente, la especificación clásica de demanda se amplía para incorporar, además de la renta y los precios relativos, variables representativas de las estrategias de las empresas omitidas en trabajos previos. Los resultados confirman el efecto que la posición de ventaja-desventaja tecnológica de España frente a la CE, así como la participación de capital extranjero sectorial, tienen no sólo sobre la evolución de las importaciones, sino, además, sobre las elasticidades precio y renta

Overlapping factors in search engine optimization and web accessibility

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to show that the pursuit of a high search engine relevance ranking for a webpage is not necessarily incompatible with the pursuit of web accessibility. Design/methodology/approach - The research described arose from an investigation into the observed phenomenon that pages from accessible websites regularly appear near the top of search engine (such as Google) results, without any deliberate effort having been made through the application of search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to achieve this. The reasons for this phenomenon appear to be found in the numerous similarities and overlapping characteristics between SEO factors and web accessibility guidelines. Context is provided through a review of sources including accessibility standards and relevant SEO studies and the relationship between SEO and web accessibility is described. The particular overlapping factors between the two are identified and the precise nature of the overlaps is explained in greater detail. Findings - The available literature provides firm evidence that the overlapping factors not only serve to ensure the accessibility of a website for all users, but are also useful for the optimization of the website's search engine ranking. The research demonstrates that any SEO project undertaken should include, as a prerequisite, the proper design of accessible web content, inasmuch as search engines will interpret the web accessibility achieved as an indicator of quality and will be able to better access and index the resulting web content. Originality/value - The present study indicates how developing websites with high visibility in search engine results also makes their content more accessible.This research work has been partially funded by the MA2VICMR (S2009/TIC-1542) and MULTIMEDICA (TIN2010-20644-C03-01) research projects.Publicad

Objetos convertidos en sujetos: encontrarnos con voces excluidas dentro de una asignatura sobre Inclusión Educativa

En esta comunicación se presenta y valora la forma de trabajar en la Asignatura de “Competencias Relacionales para el Aula Inclusiva”, del Grado de Formación de Maestros/as en Educación Primaria de la Universidad de Málaga, dentro de la Mención de Escuela Inclusiva y Atención a la Diversidad El objetivo fundamental para el alumnado del Grado es la mejora de sus competencias para la relación no discriminatoria con su alumnado. Para ello, la metodología propuesta es la de “de aprender haciendo”, dentro de un contexto de aprendizaje dialógico. La asignatura se organiza alrededor de una metodología próxima a la de los Grupos Interactivos. En ellos participan voluntarios y voluntarias, en su mayoría externos a la Universidad, que se representan en primera persona y, también, voluntariado vinculado a ellas y ellos, desde sus perfiles profesionales, familiares, de entornos comunitarios, etc. Las personas invitadas pertenecen a grupos con los cuales, mucho del alumnado universitario, tiene poca familiaridad, conocimiento o cercanía vital, ya que la aproximación formativa a los mismos es predominantemente académica, como objetos de estudio. Sin embargo, esta falta de cercanía vital es frecuente que conviva con estereotipos y prejuicios, la mayoría de las veces pertenecientes a ámbitos inconscientes y, por supuesto, indeseados por alumnado que ha elegido libremente la Mención de “Escuela Inclusiva y Atención a la Diversidad”. Los sujetos con los que el alumnado universitario realiza estos encuentros dialógicos pertenecen o están vinculados a grupos con Diversidad Funcional (con Síndrome de Down, Parálisis Cerebral, Sordera, Autismo…) y a grupos con Diversidad Socio-cultural (del colectivo LGTB, pueblo gitano, inmigración…). Diversidades, en ambos casos, en relación a los criterios dominantes impuestos como normalidad. La experiencia educativa es enormemente valorada, tanto por las personas invitadas, como por el alumnado del Grado de Educación Primaria.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Subsidies or loans? Evaluating the impact of R&D support programmes

The objective of this study is to compare the effect of different types of public direct support for R&D projects on firms’ technological capabilities. We distinguish between low-interest loans and national and European subsidies. Using data on 4,407 Spanish firms during the period 2002-2005, we estimate a multivariate probit to analyse the determinants of firms’ participation in public R&D programmes and, later, the impact of this participation on firms’ R&D activities using two different procedures. Regardless of the methodology employed for the analysis, the results suggest that being awarded any type of direct aid clearly increases the probability of conducting R&D activities. In terms of being supported through a unique instrument, the greatest effect corresponds to the case of European grants, where the impact is more than three times larger than the one of loans. As for R&D intensity, the hypothesis of full crowding-out of private R&D is rejected for all types of support. In addition, we find that the impacts of subsidies and loans reinforce each other when they are jointly awarded to SMEs. However, for large firms we cannot rule out the existence of crowding-out effect be-tween subsidies and loans.Depto. de Análisis Económico y Economía CuantitativaFac. de Ciencias Económicas y EmpresarialesTRUEUnión Europea. FP7Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN)pu