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Foreign-Born graduates and innovation: Evidence from an Australian skilled visa program✰,✰✰,★,★★

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  • Crown, Daniel
  • Faggian, Alessandra
  • Corcoran, Jonathan

Abstract

This paper estimates the effect of a skilled visa program that permits foreign-born graduates from Australian universities the right to temporarily live and work in Australia post-graduation on regional innovation outcomes. Our analysis combines data on innovation measures at the regional level with administrative data from the full population of approved Temporary Graduate visa applications. The empirical strategy accounts for the potential bias introduced by skilled foreign-born students sorting into innovative regions by using an instrumental variables strategy. Results show a positive impact of the visa program on the number of patent applications, indicating a positive impact of the skilled immigration visa program on regional innovation. We find no impact of the Temporary Graduate Visa program on the number of design rights or trademarks.

Suggested Citation

  • Crown, Daniel & Faggian, Alessandra & Corcoran, Jonathan, 2020. "Foreign-Born graduates and innovation: Evidence from an Australian skilled visa program✰,✰✰,★,★★," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(9).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:respol:v:49:y:2020:i:9:s0048733320300251
    DOI: 10.1016/j.respol.2020.103945
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    2. Kyung Min Lee & Mee Jung Kim & J. David Brown & John S. Earle & Zhen Liu, 2023. "Are Immigrants More Innovative? Evidence from Entrepreneurs," Working Papers 23-56, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
    3. Ceren Ozgen, 2021. "The economics of diversity: Innovation, productivity and the labour market," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(4), pages 1168-1216, September.
    4. Fassio, Claudio & Igna, Ioana, 2021. "Foreign graduates in Sweden. The role of high tech sectors, STEM disciplines and cultural distance," Papers in Innovation Studies 2022/2, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.
    5. Zhang, Chao & Guan, Jiancheng, 2021. "Returnee policies in China: Does a strategy of alleviating the financing difficulty of returnee firms promote innovation?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    6. Massimiliano Coda Zabetta & Christian Chacua & Francesco Lissoni & Ernest Miguelez & J. Raffo & Deyun Yin, 2021. "The missing link: international migration in global clusters of innovation," Working Papers hal-03162708, HAL.
    7. Demircioglu, Mehmet Akif & Vivona, Roberto, 2021. "Depoliticizing the European immigration debate: How to employ public sector innovation to integrate migrants," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(2).
    8. Chen, I-Ju & Hsu, Po-Hsuan & Wang, Yanzhi, 2022. "Staggered boards and product innovations: Evidence from Massachusetts State Bill HB 5640," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(4).

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