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Do Tax Incentives Increase Firm Innovation? An RD Design for R&D, Patents, and Spillovers

Author

Listed:
  • Antoine Dechezleprêtre
  • Elias Einiö
  • Ralf Martin
  • Kieu-Trang Nguyen
  • John Van Reenen

Abstract

We present causal evidence of R&D tax incentives' positive impacts on a firm's own innovation and that of its technological neighbors. Exploiting a change in size-based eligibility thresholds for R&D tax relief, we implement a Regression Discontinuity Design using administrative data. We find significant effects of tax relief on (quality-adjusted) patenting (and R&D) that persist up to seven years, and evidence of R&D spillovers on the innovation of technologically close firms. We can rule out elasticities of patenting with respect to R&D user cost of under 2 at the 5 percent level and show that our large effects are driven by financially constrained treated firms.

Suggested Citation

  • Antoine Dechezleprêtre & Elias Einiö & Ralf Martin & Kieu-Trang Nguyen & John Van Reenen, 2023. "Do Tax Incentives Increase Firm Innovation? An RD Design for R&D, Patents, and Spillovers," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 15(4), pages 486-521, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejpol:v:15:y:2023:i:4:p:486-521
    DOI: 10.1257/pol.20200739
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    Cited by:

    1. Theresa Gullo & Benjamin Page & David Weiner & Heidi L. Williams, 2024. "Estimating the Economic and Budgetary Effects of Research Investments," NBER Chapters, in: Tax Policy and the Economy, Volume 39, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Dobbelaere, Sabien & Koenig, Michael & Spescha, Andrin & Woerter, Martin, 2023. "R&D Decisions and Productivity Growth: Evidence from Switzerland and the Netherlands," CEPR Discussion Papers 18697, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    3. Fernando Alexandre & Miguel Chaves & Miguel Portela, 2025. "Investment grants and firms’ productivity: how effective is a grant booster shot?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 64(4), pages 1601-1641, April.
    4. Melnik, Walter & Smyth, Andrew, 2024. "R&D tax credits and innovation," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 236(C).
    5. Wu, Qingyang & Wang, Yaqi & Shen, Guangjun, 2024. "The green bonus of tax incentives: Evidence from China," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 227(C).
    6. Ana Martins & João Pereira dos Santos & Fernando Pozzobon, 2025. "Sailing through Troubled Waters: Evidence from the APOIAR Program," GEE Papers 190, Gabinete de Estratégia e Estudos, Ministério da Economia, revised May 2025.
    7. Kinga B. Tchorzewska, 2024. "A Lost Opportunity? Environmental Investment Tax Incentive and Energy Efficient Technologies," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 87(12), pages 3301-3333, December.
    8. Kirill Borusyak & Matan Kolerman-Shemer, 2024. "Regression discontinuity aggregation, with an application to the union effects on inequality," Papers 2501.00428, arXiv.org.
    9. Zhao, Zhiqi & Yue, Yong & Wang, Wangshuai, 2024. "Unintended consequences of tax incentives on firms' human capital composition: Evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    10. Gu, Xuehua, 2025. "Does Chinese mixed-ownership reform improve innovation quality in privately-owned enterprises? A dual-perspective evidence from managerial myopia and resource-based view," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    11. Bai, Junhong & Cai, Qishuo & Yao, Nengzhi & Guo, Qiaozhe, 2025. "Government industrial priorities, public corporate governance and corporate innovation: A political push perspective," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 1885-1900.
    12. Hepfer, Bradford F. & Judd, Hannah W. & Rice, Sarah C., 2025. "Signaling innovation: The nontax benefits of claiming R&D tax credits," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(1).
    13. Silvia Appelt & Matej Bajgar & Chiara Criscuolo & Fernando Galindo-Rueda, 2025. "How effective are R&D tax incentives? Reconciling micro and macro evidence," CEP Discussion Papers dp2071, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    14. Tong Yang & Cui Zhang, 2025. "Taxation Business Environment Optimization and Enterprise Innovation Efficiency: Empirical Evidence from China’s Policy Tests," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(4), pages 1-21, February.
    15. Tchorzewska, Kinga B. & Rio, Pablo del & Garcia-Quevedo, Jose & Martinez-Ros, Ester, 2025. "Carrot first, stick second? Environmental policy-mix sequencing and green technologies," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 210(C).
    16. Felix Carl Schultz & Vincent Czyrnik & Ingo Pies, 2024. "Is there a case for or against patents to incentivize green technologies?: A critical evaluation of innovation incentives for the global north and global south," Sustainability Nexus Forum, Springer, vol. 32(1), pages 1-9, December.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D22 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Empirical Analysis
    • H25 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Business Taxes and Subsidies
    • H32 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - Firm
    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
    • O34 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Intellectual Property and Intellectual Capital

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