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Companies learning to innovate in recessions

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  • Amore, Mario Daniele

Abstract

Innovating in downturns can affect corporate success by improving a firm’s position relative to competitors during the recovery period. However, increased uncertainty and more binding financial constraints complicate such innovation activity. I find that past experience with innovation during recessions improves a firm’s ability to invest in R&D when a new downturn hits. This result holds controlling for traditional drivers of innovation as cumulated innovations and financial constraints, as well as mitigating endogeneity and selection concerns. Moreover, I find that past experience with innovation during recessions is beneficial to patent outcomes after a new recession. Overall, the paper provides novel evidence on how business cycles shape innovative capabilities.

Suggested Citation

  • Amore, Mario Daniele, 2015. "Companies learning to innovate in recessions," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(8), pages 1574-1583.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:respol:v:44:y:2015:i:8:p:1574-1583
    DOI: 10.1016/j.respol.2015.05.006
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    2. Eric Hansen & Erlend Nybakk, 2018. "Response to the global financial crisis: a follow-up study," Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 7(1), pages 1-12, December.
    3. Armand, Alex & Mendi, Pedro, 2018. "Demand drops and innovation investments: Evidence from the Great Recession in Spain," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(7), pages 1321-1333.
    4. Katharina Friz & Jutta Günther, 2020. "Innovation and Economic Crisis in Transition Economies," Bremen Papers on Economics & Innovation 2014, University of Bremen, Faculty of Business Studies and Economics.
    5. Giebel, Marek & Kraft, Kornelius, 2021. "Subsidies and innovation in the recent financial crisis," ZEW Discussion Papers 21-097, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    6. Mario Daniele Amore, 2020. "Innovation disclosure in times of uncertainty," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(4), pages 792-815, October.
    7. Katharina Friz & Jutta Günther, 2021. "Innovation and economic crisis in transition economies," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 11(4), pages 537-563, December.
    8. Torsten Heinrich & Jangho Yang, 2022. "Innovation in times of Covid-19," Papers 2212.14159, arXiv.org.
    9. Hayoung Park & Taewon Kang & Jeong-Dong Lee, 2019. "R&D Dynamics And Firm Growth: The Importance Of R&D Persistency In The Economic Crisis," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 23(05), pages 1-24, June.
    10. Giebel, Marek & Kraft, Kornelius, 2018. "Bank credit supply and firm innovation," ZEW Discussion Papers 18-011, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    11. Elena Cefis & Orietta Marsili, 2019. "Good times, bad times: innovation and survival over the business cycle," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 28(3), pages 565-587.
    12. Cefis, Elena & Bartoloni, Eleonora & Bonati, Marco, 2020. "Show me how to live: Firms' financial conditions and innovation during the crisis," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 63-81.
    13. Lartey, Theophilus & Danso, Albert & Owusu-Agyei, Samuel, 2020. "CEOs' market sentiment and corporate innovation: The role of financial uncertainty, competition and capital intensity," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    14. Heinrich, Torsten & Yang, Jangho, 2022. "Innovation in times of Covid-19," MPRA Paper 115809, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. Juliana Yu Sun & Huanhuan Zheng, 2024. "Cross‐border technology investments in recession," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 57(1), pages 297-330, February.
    16. Bob Walrave & A Georges L Romme & Kim E van Oorschot & Fred Langerak, 2017. "Managerial attention to exploitation versus exploration: toward a dynamic perspective on ambidexterity," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 26(6), pages 1145-1160.
    17. Ravindra Singh & Ajay Dwivedi & Shikha Gupta & Sumanjeet Singh & Seema Singh, 2022. "Elucidating the moderating role of personality traits in probing the linkage between digital entrepreneurship characteristics and perceived opportunities," Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, Springer;UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurship, vol. 12(1), pages 175-188, December.
    18. Nobuaki Yamashita & Isamu Yamauchi, 2020. "Innovation responses of Japanese firms to Chinese import competition," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(1), pages 60-80, January.
    19. Giebel, Marek & Kraft, Kornelius, 2017. "External financing constraints and firm's innovative activities during the financial crisis," ZEW Discussion Papers 17-064, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    20. Silvestri, Daniela & Riccaboni, Massimo & Della Malva, Antonio, 2018. "Sailing in all winds: Technological search over the business cycle," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(10), pages 1933-1944.
    21. Torsten Heinrich & Jangho Yang, 2022. "Innovation in times of Covid-19," Chemnitz Economic Papers 058, Department of Economics, Chemnitz University of Technology.
    22. Ganotakis, Panagiotis & Angelidou, Sofia & Saridakis, Charalampos & Piperopoulos, Panagiotis & Dindial, Miguel, 2023. "Innovation, digital technologies, and sales growth during exogenous shocks," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    23. Yamashita, Nobuaki, 2021. "Economic crisis and innovation capacity of Japan: Evidence from cross-country patent citations," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    24. Archibugi, Daniele, 2017. "Blade Runner economics: Will innovation lead the economic recovery?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(3), pages 535-543.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Recessions; R&D; Patents;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G30 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - General
    • O32 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Management of Technological Innovation and R&D
    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles

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