IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/esj/esridp/132.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Overseas R&D Activities by Japanese Multinational Enterprises: Causes, Impacts and Interaction with Parent Firms

Author

Listed:
  • TODO Yasuyuki
  • SHIMIZUTANI Satoshi

Abstract

This paper investigates determinants and impacts of R&D activities in overseas subsidiaries, using .rm-level panel data for Japanese multinational enterprises. We distinguish between overseas innovative and adaptive R&D according to survey responses and .nd substantial di.erences between the two types of R&D. Most importantly, evidence suggests that overseas innovative R&D targets the exploitation of foreign advanced knowledge, successfully takes it to parent .rms, and raises home productivity. By contrast, the primary role of overseas adaptive R&D is to contribute to productivity in the host country with the use of knowledge of parent .rms. In addition, we .nd no complementarity between home and overseas innovative R&D, i.e., no evidence that overseas innovative R&D raises the marginal e.ect of home R&D on home productivity.

Suggested Citation

  • TODO Yasuyuki & SHIMIZUTANI Satoshi, 2005. "Overseas R&D Activities by Japanese Multinational Enterprises: Causes, Impacts and Interaction with Parent Firms," ESRI Discussion paper series 132, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
    • Handle: RePEc:esj:esridp:132
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.esri.go.jp/jp/archive/e_dis/e_dis140/e_dis132a.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Daron Acemoglu & Philippe Aghion & Fabrizio Zilibotti, 2003. "Vertical Integration and Distance to Frontier," Journal of the European Economic Association, MIT Press, vol. 1(2-3), pages 630-638, 04/05.
    2. Granstrand, Ove, 1999. "Internationalization of corporate R&D: a study of Japanese and Swedish corporations1," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 28(2-3), pages 275-302, March.
    3. Adam B. Jaffe & Manuel Trajtenberg & Rebecca Henderson, 1993. "Geographic Localization of Knowledge Spillovers as Evidenced by Patent Citations," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 108(3), pages 577-598.
    4. Zvi Griliches, 1998. "Returns to Research and Development Expenditures in the Private Sector," NBER Chapters, in: R&D and Productivity: The Econometric Evidence, pages 49-81, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Blundell, Richard & Bond, Stephen, 1998. "Initial conditions and moment restrictions in dynamic panel data models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 87(1), pages 115-143, August.
    6. Branstetter, Lee, 2006. "Is foreign direct investment a channel of knowledge spillovers? Evidence from Japan's FDI in the United States," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(2), pages 325-344, March.
    7. Pearce, Robert D., 1999. "Decentralised R&D and strategic competitiveness: globalised approaches to generation and use of technology in multinational enterprises (MNEs)," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 28(2-3), pages 157-178, March.
    8. Fors, Gunnar, 1997. "Utilization of R&D Results in the Home and Foreign Plants of Multinationals," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(3), pages 341-358, September.
    9. Jacques Mairesse & Mohamed Sassenou, 1991. "R&D Productivity: A Survey of Econometric Studies at the Firm Level," NBER Working Papers 3666, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. Goto, Akira & Suzuki, Kazuyuki, 1989. "R&D Capital, Rate of Return on R&D Investment and Spillover of R&D in Japanese Manufacturing Industries," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 71(4), pages 555-564, November.
    11. Philippe Aghion & Steven Durlauf (ed.), 2005. "Handbook of Economic Growth," Handbook of Economic Growth, Elsevier, edition 1, volume 1, number 1.
    12. Robert E. Hall & Charles I. Jones, 1999. "Why do Some Countries Produce So Much More Output Per Worker than Others?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 114(1), pages 83-116.
    13. Olley, G Steven & Pakes, Ariel, 1996. "The Dynamics of Productivity in the Telecommunications Equipment Industry," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 64(6), pages 1263-1297, November.
    14. Kuemmerle, Walter, 1999. "Foreign direct investment in industrial research in the pharmaceutical and electronics industries--results from a survey of multinational firms," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 28(2-3), pages 179-193, March.
    15. Frank Windmeijer, 2000. "A finite sample correction for the variance of linear two-step GMM estimators," IFS Working Papers W00/19, Institute for Fiscal Studies.
    16. Iwasa, Tomoko & Odagiri, Hiroyuki, 2004. "Overseas R&D, knowledge sourcing, and patenting: an empirical study of Japanese R&D investment in the US," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(5), pages 807-828, July.
    17. Patel, Pari & Vega, Modesto, 1999. "Patterns of internationalisation of corporate technology: location vs. home country advantages1," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 28(2-3), pages 145-155, March.
    18. Gunnar Fors, 1997. "Utilization of R&D Results in the Home and Foreign Plants of Multinationals," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(3), pages 341-358, September.
    19. Johannes Van Biesebroeck, 2007. "Robustness Of Productivity Estimates," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(3), pages 529-569, September.
    20. Odagiri, Hiroyuki & Yasuda, Hideto, 1996. "The determinants of overseas R&D by Japanese firms: an empirical study at the industry and company levels," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 25(7), pages 1059-1079, October.
    21. Shekhar Aiyar & Carl-Johan Dalgaard, 2005. "Total Factor Productivity Revisited: A Dual Approach to Development Accounting," IMF Staff Papers, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 52(1), pages 82-102, April.
    22. Belderbos, Rene, 2001. "Overseas innovations by Japanese firms: an analysis of patent and subsidiary data," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 313-332, February.
    23. Manuel Arellano & Stephen Bond, 1991. "Some Tests of Specification for Panel Data: Monte Carlo Evidence and an Application to Employment Equations," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 58(2), pages 277-297.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Yasuyuki Todo & Satoshi Shimizutani, 2008. "Overseas R&D Activities And Home Productivity Growth: Evidence From Japanese Firm‐Level Data," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(4), pages 752-777, December.
    2. Belderbos, Rene & Ito, Banri & Wakasugi, Ryuhei, 2008. "Intra-firm technology transfer and R&D in foreign affiliates: Substitutes or complements? Evidence from Japanese multinational firms," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 22(3), pages 310-319, September.
    3. René Belderbos & Leo Sleuwaegen & Reinhilde Veugelers, 2010. "Market Integration and Technological Leadership in Europe," European Economy - Economic Papers 2008 - 2015 403, Directorate General Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN), European Commission.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Yasuyuki Todo & Satoshi Shimizutani, 2008. "Overseas R&D Activities And Home Productivity Growth: Evidence From Japanese Firm‐Level Data," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(4), pages 752-777, December.
    2. Todo, Yasuyuki & Shimizutani, Satoshi, 2009. "R&D intensity for innovative and adaptive purposes in overseas subsidiaries: Evidence from Japanese multinational enterprises," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 31-45, January.
    3. Shimizutani, Satoshi & Todo, Yasuyuki, 2008. "What determines overseas R&D activities? The case of Japanese multinational firms," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 530-544, April.
    4. Iwasa, Tomoko & Odagiri, Hiroyuki, 2004. "Overseas R&D, knowledge sourcing, and patenting: an empirical study of Japanese R&D investment in the US," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(5), pages 807-828, July.
    5. Marina Papanastassiou & Robert Pearce & Antonello Zanfei, 2020. "Changing perspectives on the internationalization of R&D and innovation by multinational enterprises: A review of the literature," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 51(4), pages 623-664, June.
    6. Dietmar Harhoff & Elisabeth Mueller & John Van Reenen, 2014. "What are the Channels for Technology Sourcing? Panel Data Evidence from German Companies," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(1), pages 204-224, March.
    7. Massimo Del Gatto & Adriana Di Liberto & Carmelo Petraglia, 2011. "Measuring Productivity," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(5), pages 952-1008, December.
    8. Zhai, Zhe & Ghosal, Vivek, 2022. "Internationalization of innovation and firm performance in the pharmaceutical industry," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 882-905.
    9. Asmussen, Christian Geisler & Hashai, Niron & Delios, Andrew, 2022. "The coevolution of international scope and technological knowledge in MNCs," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 57(1).
    10. Markus Eberhardt & Christian Helmers & Hubert Strauss, 2013. "Do Spillovers Matter When Estimating Private Returns to R&D?," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 95(2), pages 436-448, May.
    11. Belderbos, Rene & Leten, Bart & Suzuki, Shinya, 2009. "Does Excellence in Academic Research Attract Foreign R&D?," MERIT Working Papers 2009-066, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    12. Sergey Lychagin & Joris Pinkse & Margaret E. Slade & John Van Reenen, 2016. "Spillovers in Space: Does Geography Matter?," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 64(2), pages 295-335, June.
    13. Todo, Yasuyuki & Miyamoto, Koji, 2006. "Knowledge Spillovers from Foreign Direct Investment and the Role of Local R&D Activities: Evidence from Indonesia," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 55(1), pages 173-200, October.
    14. Soderbom, Mans & Teal, Francis, 2004. "Size and efficiency in African manufacturing firms: evidence from firm-level panel data," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(1), pages 369-394, February.
    15. Capolupo, Rosa, 2009. "The New Growth Theories and Their Empirics after Twenty Years," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), vol. 3, pages 1-72.
    16. Arboleda, Xavier & Bermúdez-Barrezueta, Natalia & Camino-Mogro, Segundo, 2022. "Production and enterprise profitability in Ecuador’s crop-growing sector," Revista CEPAL, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), August.
    17. Christian Le Bas & Parimal Patel, 2007. "Related variety and regional growth in Italy," SPRU Working Paper Series 164, SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School.
    18. Schmiele, Anja, 2009. "Drivers for international innovation activities in developed and emerging countries," ZEW Discussion Papers 09-064, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    19. Peri, Giovanni & Urban, Dieter, 2006. "Catching-up to foreign technology? Evidence on the "Veblen-Gerschenkron" effect of foreign investments," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 36(1), pages 72-98, January.
    20. Todo, Yasuyuki & Miyamoto, Koji, 2006. "Knowledge Spillovers from Foreign Direct Investment and the Role of Local R&D Activities: Evidence from Indonesia," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 55(1), pages 173-200, October.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    overseas R&D activities; multinational enterprises; total factor productivity. JEL classifications: F23; O30.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F23 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Multinational Firms; International Business

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:esj:esridp:132. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: HORI nobuko (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/esrgvjp.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.