The impact of aid on growth revisited: Do donor motives matter?

The typical identification strategy in aid effectiveness studies assumes that donor motives do not influence the impact of aid on growth. We call this homogeneity assumption into question, constructing a model in which donor motives matter and testing the assumption empirically.     

The impact of monetary policy on local housing markets: Do regulations matter?

This paper shows that monetary policy has uneven impacts on local housing markets, and that the magnitude of the impacts are correlated with housing supply regulations. We apply the linearized present value model, which allows the log rent–price ratio to be decomposed into the expected present values of all future real interests rates, real housing premia, and real rent growth, to the housing markets in 23 US metropolitan statistical areas. Based on the indirect inference bias-corrected VAR estimates, we find that MSAs that are more regulated have (i) a higher variance in the log rent–price ratio, (ii) a larger share of the variance explained by real interest rate, and (iii) a stronger impulse response of house price to the real interest rate shock.     

Effects of public funding on firm innovation: transforming or reinforcing a weak innovation pattern?

ABSTRACT

This paper adds to the ongoing debate on the effects of public funding programmes on business innovation. This policy instrument, based upon a simple but a robust rationale, has been applied in an almost homogeneous manner in different contexts, but evidence from such experiences is far from shown homogeneous effects. The main contribution of this paper is that it shows the limitations faced by public funding instruments in affecting a traditionally low innovative pattern. Using panel data techniques, we find heterogeneous effects of public funding on the innovation behaviour of Uruguayan firms between 2001 and 2015. Our results show that, after a strong public policy effort, the critical mass of innovative firms has hardly changed. Input additionality effects of public funding in private innovation investment are found, but only for innovation activities based on the acquisition of embodied knowledge. Moreover, we obtain some evidence of behavioural additionality in process and organizational innovation leading to higher productivity levels, but we find no effects on interaction for innovation.     

The impact of American depositary receipts on the Japanese index: Do industry effect and size effect matter?

This paper explores whether American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) affect the underlying local index (LD) for Japanese market, and such a phenomenon is considered as an adverse influence. Nonlinear Granger causality and Bayesian factor analysis are employed to investigate the nonlinear relationship between ADR and LD. The results indicate the existence of a nonlinear relationship between ADR and LD by employing Bayesian factor analysis, which has never been employed in the related issues. Next, the linear Granger causality findings reveal that the ADRs, which influence Japanese index, are not affected by industry effect rather than by size effects. Overall, most relationships between ADR and LD are nonlinear while the specific turning points of different firms influence LD. Ultimately, we also provide the related policy and economic implications.     

The impact of innovation on companies’ performance: an entropy-based analysis of the STAR market segment of the Italian Stock Exchange

This paper proposes the use of a class of concentration-based entropy measures as a new instrument to quantify business performances through an analysis of growth, profitability and productivity. Such measures are tested against a complex analysis of the link between innovation and performance for firms listed in the STAR market segment of the Italian Stock Exchange. In so doing, two targets are achieved: (1) the identification of parameters that are relevant for explaining the relationship between innovation and performance for the considered sample, with special focus on innovation type, innovation level and business size; (2) the elaboration of a new methodology – based on information theory – for the analysis of the impact of innovation on performance. The study shows that type of innovation and size play a key role in determining company performance.     

Does partner type matter in R&D collaboration for product innovation?

Most firms tend to utilise various types of R&D collaboration partners simultaneously and partnerships between different types of partners show different properties. Thus, the effect of R&D collaboration may vary depending on partner types. This study considers four partner types: competitors, customers, suppliers and universities. It empirically examines the effect of R&D collaboration with each type of partner on product innovation, employing the Korean Innovation Survey data. Results show that R&D collaborations with customers and universities have a positive effect on product innovation, whereas R&D collaborations with suppliers and competitors have an inverted-U shape relationship with product innovation. This result can provide an explanation to the chaotic results of previous research and assist managers in selecting appropriate R&D partner.     

The impact of EEOC enforcement on the wages of black and white women: does class matter?

The procedures used by the EEOC have been broadly criticized. The critiques are that the EEOC does not completely investigate all charges, and does not apply the law to the fullest benefit of discrimination victims. This paper contributes to these critiques with a finding that, among women, benefits from EEOC enforcement are funneled to white women and black women with relatively high levels of education. This distribution of benefits is due to the EEOC’s investigation procedures.     

The impact of skilled immigrants on their local teammates’ performance

We use the Bosman ruling, which invalidated restrictions on the maximum number of foreign players allowed on professional football teams, to identify a causal positive impact of foreign players in German Bundesliga clubs on the individual performance of their domestic teammates.     

The impact of local financial development on firm growth in Vietnam: Does the level of corruption matter?

We examine the effects of province-level financial development and corruption on the performance of Vietnamese firms in terms of the growth rates of sales, investment and sales per worker. Employing a large firm-level dataset of more than 40,000 firms for the period 2009–2013 and applying a heteroskedasticity-based identification strategy, we find that province-level financial development promotes firm growth, while corruption hinders it. Most importantly, the marginal effect of financial development on firm growth depends negatively on the level of corruption. Moreover, financial development exacerbates the growth-retarding effect of corruption.     

Do words matter? The impact of communication on the PIIGS' CDS and bond yield spreads during Europe's sovereign debt crisis

The paper aims to shed light on the role of communication in the European debt crisis. It examines the effects of public statements by ECB Governing Council members, EU officials and national representatives on the PIIGS' CDS and bond yield spreads. The focus lies on dovish statements that signal strong determination in the rescue of indebted countries, and hawkish statements that indicate limited commitment to support the PIIGS and protect its creditors. The analysis of daily data for the period between January 1, 2009 and August 12, 2011 in an EGARCH framework suggests that communication by representatives of Germany, France, and the EU as well as ECB Governing Council members had an immediate impact on both types of securities. No effects are found for communication by representatives of the smaller eurozone member countries.     

Core infrastructure and industrial performance in Africa: Do institutions matter?

The study investigates the role of institution in the nexus between core infrastructure and industrial performance in Africa. In this study, we select 25 African economies and data cover the period of 1996–2016. To conduct the panel analysis, we use variables such as manufacturing value added per capita to proxy industrial performance and employ the principal component analysis to generate core infrastructure index, as well as institution index. Using the fixed effect model, we find that core infrastructure has a positive but insignificant impact on industrial performance in the selected African countries. However, when we interact infrastructure with institution, results suggest that infrastructure has a positive and significant effect on industrial performance, alluding to the fact that institution is very important in making infrastructure to enhance industrial performance in Africa. Hence, African governments should formulate a sound industrial policy and standardise regulatory quality to boost industrial performance.     

The impact of corruption on FDI: is MENA an exception?

The eruption of the Arab Spring in Tunisia and Egypt was ensued by deterioration in FDI inflows. Whether a new Middle East free of corruption accompanying previous dictatorships will offset the negative ramifications of the uprisings and enhance FDI in the long run remains debatable. Since the evidence on the causal relationship between corruption and FDI is inconclusive, this study attempts to take another step. The paper investigates the link between corruption and FDI flows to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and assesses whether or not corruption has more importance than other FDI determinants. By employing several panel settings with various econometric specifications on 21 MENA countries over the period 2003 to 2009, it is demonstrated that FDI varies positively with corruption. Additionally, FDI in MENA was found to vary positively with per capita income, openness, freedom and security of investments and negatively with the tax and homicide rates. Since corruption was not found to hinder FDI inflows, treating corruption should be based on sound legal procedures that infringe neither on the rights, freedom and security of FDI nor on the degree of openness and freedom of the economy, which are the real stimulants of FDI in MENA.     

On the impact of inflation on output growth: Does the level of inflation matter?

This paper investigates the growth effects of inflation on a wide sample of countries, including both industrialized and emerging economies. Relying upon the estimation of smooth transition and dynamic GMM models for panel data, our findings offer strong evidence that inflation non-linearly impacts economic growth. More specifically, there exists a threshold beyond which inflation exerts a negative effect on growth, and below which it is growth enhancing for advanced countries.     

Testing theories of reciprocity: Do motivations matter?

One of the key issues for understanding reciprocity is how agents evaluate the kindness of an action. In this paper we investigate experimentally the hypothesis that the motivation driving an action is relevant for its perceived kindness and, as a consequence, for reciprocal behavior. In particular, we examine the hypothesis that, for a given distributional outcome, positive reciprocity is less strong in response to strategically motivated actions than to non-strategically motivated actions. Our results indicate that, both at the aggregate and the individual level, reciprocity is significantly stronger when strategic motivations can be ruled out. These findings suggest that intentions matter and, in particular, that models of intention-based reciprocity should take into account the nature of the motivations behind choices.     

The impact of science and technology parks on firms’ product innovation: empirical evidence from Spain

Science and Technology Parks (STP) have attracted considerable attention and public funds in recent years. However, the conclusions on their effectiveness remain mixed. This work evaluates the impact of STP on firm product innovation in the Spanish context, as an example of a less developed innovation system in which regional and national governments are prioritizing STP initiatives. This work draws on a large sample of firms provided by the Spanish Survey on Technological Innovation that is conducted annually by the National Statistical Institute. We explore alternative econometric methods to obtain average treatment effects for firms located in 22 Spanish STPs. Our results show that Spanish STPs have a strong and positive impact on the probability and amount of product innovation achieved by STP located firms. These results hold when the endogeneity of STP location is taken into account.     

Export performance of developing countries: Does landlockedness matter?

Landlockedness imposes additional costs on trade and reduces international competitiveness. This paper examines the determinants of export performance in developing countries, within a comparative perspective of landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) and non‐landlocked developing countries, by using a standard gravity modeling framework. The study covers data from 1995 to 2015. The results suggest that despite recent trade policy reforms, the overall export performance of LLDCs is lower than that of non‐landlocked developing countries due to the inherent additional trade costs associated with landlockedness. The conventional wisdom that export performance is aided by economic openness also applies to LLDCs, but distance‐related trade costs have a greater negative impact on exports from LLDCs than on other developing countries. The immediate trade policy challenge for LLDCs is therefore to create a more trade‐friendly environment by lowering tariffs, reforming exchange rates and entering into regional trade agreements.     

Do data policy restrictions impact the productivity performance of firms and industries?

This paper examines how policies regulating the cross‐border movement and domestic use of electronic data on the internet impact the productivity of firms in sectors relying on electronic data. In doing so, we collect regulatory information on a group of developed economies and create an index that measures the regulatory restrictiveness of each country's data policies. The index is based on observable policy measures that explicitly inhibit the cross‐border movement and domestic use of data. Using cross‐country firm‐level and industry‐level data, we analyse econometrically the extent to which these data regulations over time impact the productivity performance of downstream firms and industries, respectively. We show that stricter data policies have a negative and significant impact on the performance of downstream firms in sectors reliant on electronic data. This adverse effect is stronger for countries with strong technology networks, for servicified firms, and holds for several robustness checks.     

The division of innovative labour: when does customer codevelopment contribute to firm innovation performance?

ABSTRACT

Innovative firms often involve customers in their product development to drive innovation outcomes. However, few have empirically examined how this division of innovative labour affects innovation performance. Drawing on prior studies and the knowledge-based theory of the firm, we theorise conditions under which customer codevelopment benefits innovation performance. By examining panel data from Swiss firms, we provide the first empirical account of the performance effects of customer codevelopment based on a large-scale survey sample. We find that a firm's absorptive capacity reinforces the relationship between customer codevelopment and innovation performance. We elaborate on the implications of these findings for the literatures on customer codevelopment and open innovation.     

Exploring the impact of open innovation on national systems of innovation — A theoretical analysis

This paper investigates the impact of open innovation on national systems of innovation. The open innovation concept has become widely established among scholars and practitioners. However, an overview of its impact on national innovation systems is still lacking. Given that the innovating firm is at the core of national innovation systems, a better understanding of shifting innovation strategies at the firm level is of fundamental importance to the actions of policy-makers within the national innovation systems framework. Based on the main analytical approaches of national innovation systems and the current state of open innovation research, we argue that open innovation practices have at least three critical effects on national systems of innovation: (a) they reinforce its importance; (b) they improve its effectiveness; and (c) they diversify its networks.