Estimating international technology spillovers using technology flow matrices

Estimating International Technology Spillovers Using Technology Flow Matrices. — This paper investigates the impact of international R &; D spillovers on sectoral growth patterns in OECD countries. It applies panel regression techniques to a time-series cross-section panel. It arrives at the conclusion that knowledge spillovers are an important contributor to economic growth. The estimation results are applied in the form of a ‘simulation’ of TFP growth per country, splitting (R &; D-related) TFP into a component due to domestic R &; D and one due to foreign R &; D. The results also show that the United States and Germany are the most influential countries in terms of contributions to other countries’ TFP growth.     

Active labour market policies and job tenure

In this paper, we study the effect of subsidised on-the-jobtraining, training for the unemployed and pure wage subsidieson job tenure. Correcting for selection biases, we find thateach of the labour market policies increases the length of jobtenure. Despite the sensitivity of the estimates to the parametricassumptions with respect to the unobservables, the effect ofsubsidised on-the-job training schemes is always found to besignificantly positive. Training programs for the unemployedand pure wage subsidies always have a positive, but statisticallynon-significant effect Our results provide some support forhuman capital theories as opposed to matching theories.     

Duration dependence in the exit rate out of unemployment in Belgium. Is it true or spurious?

On the basis of aggregate data for the early 1990s, we analyse the determinants of unemployment duration for laid‐off male workers in Wallonia (Belgium). Our results indicate that if ranking in recruitment occurs, the standard mixed proportional hazard specification can be too restrictive, leading to an overstatement of the extent of true negative duration dependence. We conclude that negative duration dependence is largely spurious. We also decompose the time variation of the hazard in (unobserved) compositional and direct cyclical and seasonal effects. We find counter‐cyclical variation in the quality of young workers, but none for the prime aged. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Volume and Price of Indonesian Exports, 1823 To 1940: The Long-Term Trend and its Measurement 1

This article is concerned with indices of export volume and prices in Indonesia from 1823 to 1940. It discusses the sources from which the quantitative information on exports is derived. Previous indices are shown and their shortcomings are considered. Next, Laspeyres quantity indices and Paasche unit value and price indices for agricultural and total exports are presented. These indices are based on fixed weights for eight sub-periods. The paper also discusses the features and shortcomings of the more sophisticated Divisia index, and concludes with some remarks on the long-term trend of exports from Indonesia.     

R&D and market structure: The impact of measurement and aggregation problems

Estimates on the relationship between concentration and R&D effort are shown to be sensitive to problems of aggregation and of adequate measurement of R&D in small firms. While estimates from the official R&D survey of the Netherlands show a highly significant linear relationship between concentration and R&D, comparable estimates from our R&D data base prove it to be insignificant. However, at a finer level of disaggregation and when our sample is split into sectors with low and high technological opportunities, we discover evidence of a quadratic relationship in the latter and evidence of a weak linear relationship in the former.     

Structural Models of Factor Demands and Technological Change: An Empirical Assessment of Dynamic Adjustment Specifications for Sectors of the Dutch Economy

In this paper, we combine a translog cost functional form with an adjustment process according to the error correction mechanism to explain the simultaneous determination of factor demands and technological change. To save degrees of freedom in the estimation procedure, we also consider the imposition of restrictions on the matrices of lag parameters and/or the covariance matrix of the disturbances. Using a model selection strategy based on a combination of economic-theoretical considerations and a formal model selection criterion, a model is selected for each of 17 sectors of the Dutch economy. It turns out that, for 14 of the 17 sectors under consideration, a model is chosen that allows the imposition of restrictions with respect to the matrices of lag parameters. A comparison of the present results with those obtained by Lesuis and de Boer reveals that the application of more general dynamic structures leads to results that are more in accordance with economic theory.     

Estimating the validity of administrative variables

Administrative data have become more important for both official statistics and academic research. One possible problem with such data is that they are biased and have a low validity. Although this problem is often mentioned in a qualitative respect, the validity is seldom quantitatively measured. This article presents a method to estimate the validity of administrative variables. By applying the classical test theory, the validity can be determined by using linked survey and administrative data which should measure the same concepts. This idea is elaborated with an empirical example in which the construct validity of age, gender, educational attainment and wages is determined simultaneously. A linear structural equations model with a measurement component is used to compute the construct validity. The analyses reveal that educational attainment and wages show some bias, but not higher than the bias found in the survey.     

Dismantling the ivory tower: The influence of networks on innovative output in emerging technologies

In this article we examine how R&D networking affects an organization's innovative output. Using empirical data on 419 research organizations in transgene plant research over a 20-year period, we test several hypotheses relating their sociometric position in an R&D network to their innovative output. Attention is paid to the relative importance of in-house versus collaborative research. Least squares dummy variable models are used to analyze cross-sectional data across different time periods. The results show that (1) an organization's “network embeddedness” positively influences its innovative output; whereas (2) involvement in collaborative R&D has a curvilinear effect on innovative performance.     

ICT,BUSINESS SERVICES AND LABOUR PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH

This paper focuses on the diffusion of knowledge intensive business services (KIBS) in relation to information and communication technology-based innovations and their effect on productivity growth. Intermediate purchases of KIBS by any other industry determine the extent of KIBS diffusion. This diffusion is seen as part of the broader process of organisational innovations. We find a significant positive relation between this measure of KIBS diffusion and the intensity of information technology (IT). Not only do use of IT and KIBS both contribute positively to labour productivity growth, we also find that the combination of these two inputs adds further to productivity growth for the aggregate economy.