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R&D Productivity and the Spillover Effects of High‐tech Industry on the Traditional Manufacturing Sector: The Case of Taiwan

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  • Kuen‐Hung Tsai
  • Jiann‐Chyuan Wang

Abstract

This study sets out to estimate the impact of R&D on productivity within the private sector, with further analysis of the different impacts of R&D within high‐tech and traditional manufacturing firms. We also attempt to examine the spillover effects from R&D investment in the high‐tech sector on productivity growth within the traditional industries. Using a sample of 136 large manufacturing firms during the period 1994–2000, we develop an extended version of the Cobb‐Douglas production function model, and our findings suggest that Taiwan's R&D investment had a significant impact on firm productivity growth, with output elasticity standing at around 0.18. When the sample is divided into high‐tech and traditional firms, the R&D output elasticity in high‐tech firms is significantly greater than that found in traditional firms. In addition, the average rate of return in high‐tech firms is much greater than that estimated for other industries. Besides, our empirical results show that, although significant, the impact of R&D investment from the high‐tech sector, on the productivity growth of traditional firms, is rather limited.

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  • Kuen‐Hung Tsai & Jiann‐Chyuan Wang, 2004. "R&D Productivity and the Spillover Effects of High‐tech Industry on the Traditional Manufacturing Sector: The Case of Taiwan," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(10), pages 1555-1570, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:worlde:v:27:y:2004:i:10:p:1555-1570
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9701.2004.00666.x
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    2. Alhassan Abdul-Wakeel Karakara & Evans Osabuohien, 2020. "ICT adoption, competition and innovation of informal firms in West Africa: a comparative study of Ghana and Nigeria," Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 14(3), pages 397-414, June.
    3. Subal Kumbhakar & Raquel Ortega-Argilés & Lesley Potters & Marco Vivarelli & Peter Voigt, 2012. "Corporate R&D and firm efficiency: evidence from Europe’s top R&D investors," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 37(2), pages 125-140, April.
    4. Ortega-Argilés, Raquel & Piva, Mariacristina & Vivarelli, Marco, 2011. "Productivity Gains from R&D Investment: Are High-Tech Sectors Still Ahead?," IZA Discussion Papers 5975, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Sajid Anwar & Sizhong Sun, 2014. "Entry of foreign firms and the R&D behaviour: a panel data study of domestic and foreign firms in China's manufacturing sector," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(8), pages 739-757, November.
    6. Mario Pianta & Andrea Vaona, 2007. "Innovation and Productivity in European Industries," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(7), pages 485-499.
    7. Chen, Zhuo & Yang, Zhenbing & Yang, Lili, 2020. "How to optimize the allocation of research resources? An empirical study based on output and substitution elasticities of universities in Chinese provincial level," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    8. Zhang, Rui & Sun, Kai & Delgado, Michael S. & Kumbhakar, Subal C., 2012. "Productivity in China's high technology industry: Regional heterogeneity and R&D," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 79(1), pages 127-141.
    9. Raquel Ortega‐Argilés & Mariacristina Piva & Lesley Potters & Marco Vivarelli, 2010. "Is Corporate R&D Investment In High‐Tech Sectors More Effective?," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 28(3), pages 353-365, July.
    10. Harris, Richard & Li, Qian Cher & Trainor, Mary, 2009. "Is a higher rate of R&D tax credit a panacea for low levels of R&D in disadvantaged regions?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 192-205, February.
    11. Arkady Trachuk & Natalia Linder, 2018. "Innovation and Performance: An Empirical Study of Russian Industrial Companies," International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management (IJITM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 15(03), pages 1-22, June.
    12. Tsai, Kuen-Hung & Wang, Jiann-Chyuan, 2005. "Does R&D performance decline with firm size?--A re-examination in terms of elasticity," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(6), pages 966-976, August.
    13. Czarnitzki, Dirk & Thorwarth, Susanne, 2012. "Productivity effects of basic research in low-tech and high-tech industries," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(9), pages 1555-1564.
    14. Dai, Lu & Zhang, Jiajun & Luo, Shougui, 2022. "Effective R&D capital and total factor productivity: Evidence using spatial panel data models," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    15. Bogliacino, Francesco & Pianta, Mario, 2011. "Engines of growth. Innovation and productivity in industry groups," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 41-53, February.
    16. Wang, David Han-Min & Yu, Tiffany Hui-Kuang & Liu, Hong-Quan, 2013. "Heterogeneous effect of high-tech industrial R&D spending on economic growth," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 66(10), pages 1990-1993.
    17. Zhong Xie & Guixue Zang & Feifei Wu, 2019. "On the Relationship between Innovation Activity and Manufacturing Upgrading of Emerging Countries: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-19, March.
    18. Sabine Visser, 2007. "R&D in Worldscan," CPB Memorandum 189.rdf, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.

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