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Competitive Pressure and Innovation at the Firm Level

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  • Pilar Beneito
  • Paz Coscollá-Girona
  • María Engracia Rochina-Barrachina
  • Amparo Sanchis

Abstract

type="main"> This paper provides empirical evidence on the relationship between market competitive pressure and firms' innovation using panel data of Spanish manufacturing firms for 1990–2006. We depart from standard measures of competition, and construct variables capturing the fundamentals of competitive pressure (product substitutability, market size and entry costs) to test the theoretical predictions of Vives [2008, The Journal of Industrial Economics] for free entry. Our results line up favourably with these predictions. We obtain that greater product substitutability and higher costs of entry lead to more process innovation but less product innovation, whereas market enlargement spurs both product and process innovation.

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  • Pilar Beneito & Paz Coscollá-Girona & María Engracia Rochina-Barrachina & Amparo Sanchis, 2015. "Competitive Pressure and Innovation at the Firm Level," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 63(3), pages 422-457, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jindec:v:63:y:2015:i:3:p:422-457
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    7. Lefouili, Yassine & Madio, Leonardo, 2023. "Market Structure and Investments : A Progress Report," TSE Working Papers 23-1491, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE), revised Mar 2024.
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    13. 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.
    14. Benavente, José Miguel & Zuñiga, Pluvia, 2022. "How Does Market Competition Affect Firm Innovation Incentives in Emerging Countries? Evidence from Chile and Colombia," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 12198, Inter-American Development Bank.
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    16. 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.
    17. Thompson, Mark James & Woerter, Martin, 2020. "Competition and invention quality: Evidence from Swiss firms," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    18. Jeanjean, François & Houngbonon, Georges Vivien, 2017. "Market structure and investment in the mobile industry," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 12-22.
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    20. Di Foggia, Giacomo, 2021. "Energy-Efficient Products and Competitiveness in the Manufacturing Sector," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 7(1).
    21. Simona Mateut, 2018. "Subsidies, financial constraints and firm innovative activities in emerging economies," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 50(1), pages 131-162, January.
    22. Tobias Stucki & Martin Woerter, 2019. "Competitive Pressure and Diversification into Green R&D," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 55(2), pages 301-325, September.
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    24. Sanmugam Annamalah & Murali Raman & Govindan Marthandan & Aravindan Kalisri Logeswaran, 2020. "Embracing Technology and Propelling SMEs through Open Innovation Transformation," International Journal of Finance, Insurance and Risk Management, International Journal of Finance, Insurance and Risk Management, vol. 10(4), pages 95-122.
    25. Muhammad Zeeshan Younas & Muhammad Iftikhar Husnain, 2022. "Role of market structure in firm-level innovation: an extended CDM model for a developing economy," DECISION: Official Journal of the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, Springer;Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, vol. 49(1), pages 91-104, March.

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