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Firm-level human capital and innovation: Evidence from China

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  • Sun, Xiuli
  • Li, Haizheng
  • Ghosal, Vivek

Abstract

This paper examines the role of human capital in firms' innovation. Based on a World Bank survey of manufacturing firms in China, we use two firm-level datasets: one from large metropolitan cities, and one from mid-sized cities. Patents are used as an indicator of innovation. The human capital indicators we use include the number of highly educated workers, the general manager's education and tenure, and the management team's education and age. We use the Negative Binomial and Instrumental Variables estimators to estimate patent production function models that are augmented by our human capital variables. We also use the zero-inflated Negative Binomial model to examine the likelihood of innovation. We find that the human capital indicators play an important role in influencing patenting, and that some of the human capital variables appear to have a greater impact on patenting in mid-sized cities. Our human capital estimates are obtained after controlling for firms' R&D, size, market share, age, and foreign ownership, as well as fixed effects to control for industry-specific characteristics, and firms' location and geography.

Suggested Citation

  • Sun, Xiuli & Li, Haizheng & Ghosal, Vivek, 2020. "Firm-level human capital and innovation: Evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:chieco:v:59:y:2020:i:c:s1043951x1930149x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.chieco.2019.101388
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Patents; Innovation; Human capital; Skilled labor; Managerial human capital; Education; R&D; Geography;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • I25 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Economic Development
    • D21 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Theory
    • D22 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Empirical Analysis
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
    • O32 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Management of Technological Innovation and R&D
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes

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