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R&D Subsidies and the Surplus Appropriability Problem

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  • Sørensen Anders

    (Copenhagen Business School and Centre for Economic and Business Research)

Abstract

It may be optimal from a welfare perspective to use R&D subsidies when the source of R&D distortions originates from the surplus appropriability problem and technological spillovers in the form of knowledge spillovers, creative destruction, and duplication externalities are absent. Hence, R&D subsidies may constitute the welfare maximizing policy even when subsidies directly targeted on monopoly pricing could be applied. The result holds when dynamic gains are important relative to static gains and when government spending is restricted, i.e., below the required effort for correcting completely for market failures. The argument is developed in a semi-endogenous growth model where the only distortion is monopoly pricing of intermediate goods.

Suggested Citation

  • Sørensen Anders, 2006. "R&D Subsidies and the Surplus Appropriability Problem," The B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics, De Gruyter, vol. 6(2), pages 1-29, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:bejmac:v:topics.6:y:2006:i:2:n:3
    DOI: 10.2202/1534-5998.1346
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • O38 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Government Policy
    • O41 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - One, Two, and Multisector Growth Models

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