IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i8p4731-d794318.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Impact of Public Support for Innovation on Company Performance: Review and Meta-Analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Cátia Rosário

    (Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policies (GOVCOPP), Aveiro University, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal)

  • Celeste Varum

    (Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policies (GOVCOPP), Aveiro University, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal)

  • Anabela Botelho

    (Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policies (GOVCOPP), Aveiro University, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal)

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a significant shift in public policies directed to firms, with several governments launching public measures to support innovation. To promote firms’ innovation, governments can implement incentives such as subsidizing companies, inducing them to undertake those investments. Hence, the aim of this study is to review the results of a set of studies published on the evaluation of public support to firms’ innovation. To achieve this goal, we conduct a literature review that combines bibliometric analysis, network, qualitative analysis (con-tent review), and quantitative analysis through meta-regression. The analysis was performed using the VOSviewer and Stata software and the results of the meta-regression (regression with Logit model) suggest that there are no characteristics of studies on this topic that affect the results obtained. It was verified that, in the set of articles analyzed, there is strong evidence that public support for innovation leads to favorable results for the company’s performance. The main trends in the topics addressed were also identified and analyzed and, in addition to financial support for innovation, support for small and medium-sized companies, support for the development of the high-tech industry, and open and collaborative innovation stand out.

Suggested Citation

  • Cátia Rosário & Celeste Varum & Anabela Botelho, 2022. "Impact of Public Support for Innovation on Company Performance: Review and Meta-Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-16, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:8:p:4731-:d:794318
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/8/4731/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/8/4731/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Patrik Gustavsson Tingvall & Josefin Videnord, 2020. "Regional differences in effects of publicly sponsored R&D grants on SME performance," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 54(4), pages 951-969, April.
    2. Jugend, Daniel & Fiorini, Paula De Camargo & Armellini, Fabiano & Ferrari, Aline Gabriela, 2020. "Public support for innovation: A systematic review of the literature and implications for open innovation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    3. Nishimura, Junichi & Okamuro, Hiroyuki, 2011. "Subsidy and networking: The effects of direct and indirect support programs of the cluster policy," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(5), pages 714-727, June.
    4. Alexandra Rese & Anke Kutschke & Daniel Baier, 2016. "Analyzing The Relative Influence Of Supply Side, Demand Side And Regulatory Factors On The Success Of Collaborative Energy Innovation Projects," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 20(02), pages 1-43, February.
    5. Czarnitzki, Dirk & Hanel, Petr & Rosa, Julio Miguel, 2011. "Evaluating the impact of R&D tax credits on innovation: A microeconometric study on Canadian firms," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(2), pages 217-229, March.
    6. Bianchini, Stefano & Llerena, Patrick & Martino, Roberto, 2019. "The impact of R&D subsidies under different institutional frameworks," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 65-78.
    7. Beom Cheol Cin & Young Jun Kim & Nicholas S. Vonortas, 2017. "The impact of public R&D subsidy on small firm productivity: evidence from Korean SMEs," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 48(2), pages 345-360, February.
    8. Dirk Czarnitzki & Cindy Lopes-Bento, 2014. "Innovation Subsidies: Does the Funding Source Matter for Innovation Intensity and Performance? Empirical Evidence from Germany," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(5), pages 380-409, July.
    9. Huergo, Elena & Trenado, Mayte & Ubierna, Andrés, 2016. "The impact of public support on firm propensity to engage in R&D: Spanish experience," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 113(PB), pages 206-219.
    10. Greco, Marco & Grimaldi, Michele & Cricelli, Livio, 2017. "Hitting the nail on the head: Exploring the relationship between public subsidies and open innovation efficiency," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 213-225.
    11. Hottenrott, Hanna & Lopes-Bento, Cindy, 2014. "(International) R&D collaboration and SMEs: The effectiveness of targeted public R&D support schemes," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(6), pages 1055-1066.
    12. Beck, Mathias & Lopes-Bento, Cindy & Schenker-Wicki, Andrea, 2016. "Radical or incremental: Where does R&D policy hit?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(4), pages 869-883.
    13. Enrico Vanino & Stephen Roper & Bettina Becker, 2020. "Knowledge to Money: Assessing the Business Performance Effects of Publicly Funded R&D Grants," ifo DICE Report, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 17(04), pages 20-24, January.
    14. Hashi, Iraj & Stojčić, Nebojša, 2013. "The impact of innovation activities on firm performance using a multi-stage model: Evidence from the Community Innovation Survey 4," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(2), pages 353-366.
    15. Ondřej Dvouletý & Ivana Blažková, 2019. "Assessing the microeconomic effects of public subsidies on the performance of firms in the czech food processing industry: A counterfactual impact evaluation," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 35(3), pages 394-422, July.
    16. Mihaela DIACONU, 2011. "Technological Innovation: Concept, Process, Typology and Implications in the Economy," Theoretical and Applied Economics, Asociatia Generala a Economistilor din Romania - AGER, vol. 0(10(563)), pages 127-144, October.
    17. Szczygielski, Krzysztof & Grabowski, Wojciech & Pamukcu, Mehmet Teoman & Tandogan, Vedat Sinan, 2017. "Does government support for private innovation matter? Firm-level evidence from two catching-up countries," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(1), pages 219-237.
    18. David Moher & Alessandro Liberati & Jennifer Tetzlaff & Douglas G Altman & The PRISMA Group, 2009. "Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(7), pages 1-6, July.
    19. Alessandra Catozzella & Marco Vivarelli, 2016. "The possible adverse impact of innovation subsidies: some evidence from Italy," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 12(2), pages 351-368, June.
    20. Claudio Petti & Lauretta Rubini & Silvia Podetti, 2017. "Government Support and R&D Investment Effectiveness in Chinese SMEs: A Complex Relationship," Asian Economic Papers, MIT Press, vol. 16(1), pages 201-226, Winter/Sp.
    21. Manuel Guisado-González & Jennifer González-Blanco & José Luís Coca-Pérez & Manuel Guisado-Tato, 2018. "Assessing the relationship between R&D subsidy, R&D cooperation and absorptive capacity: an investigation on the manufacturing Spanish case," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 43(6), pages 1647-1666, December.
    22. Colombo, Massimo G. & Grilli, Luca & Murtinu, Samuele, 2011. "R&D subsidies and the performance of high-tech start-ups," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 112(1), pages 97-99, July.
    23. Jugend, Daniel & Jabbour, Charbel Jose Chiappeta & Alves Scaliza, Janaina A. & Rocha, Robson Sø & Junior, José Alcides Gobbo & Latan, Hengky & Salgado, Manoel Henrique, 2018. "Relationships among open innovation, innovative performance, government support and firm size: Comparing Brazilian firms embracing different levels of radicalism in innovation," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 74, pages 54-65.
    24. Giovanni Cerulli & Bianca Potì, 2012. "Evaluating the Robustness of the Effect of Public Subsidies on Firms' R&D: An Application to Italy," Journal of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(2), pages 287-320, November.
    25. Dejan Ravšelj & Aleksander Aristovnik, 2017. "R&D Subsidies as Drivers of Corporate Performance in Slovenia: The Regional Perspective," DANUBE: Law and Economics Review, European Association Comenius - EACO, issue 2, pages 79-95, June.
    26. Andreja Jaklič & Anže Burger & Matija Rojec, 2013. "The Quest for More Efficient R&D Subsidies," Eastern European Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(4), pages 5-25, July.
    27. Gökçen Arkalı Olcay & Melih Bulu, 2015. "Who should really get government support: an analysis of Turkish SME cases," International Journal of Knowledge-Based Development, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 6(1), pages 34-49.
    28. Bhimani, Hardik & Mention, Anne-Laure & Barlatier, Pierre-Jean, 2019. "Social media and innovation: A systematic literature review and future research directions," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 251-269.
    29. Hottenrott, Hanna & Richstein, Robert, 2020. "Start-up subsidies: Does the policy instrument matter?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(1).
    30. Wang, Yanbo & Li, Jizhen & Furman, Jeffrey L., 2017. "Firm performance and state innovation funding: Evidence from China’s innofund program," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(6), pages 1142-1161.
    31. Neves, Pedro Cunha & Sequeira, Tiago Neves, 2018. "Spillovers in the production of knowledge: A meta-regression analysis," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(4), pages 750-767.
    32. Dimos, Christos & Pugh, Geoff, 2016. "The effectiveness of R&D subsidies: A meta-regression analysis of the evaluation literature," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(4), pages 797-815.
    33. Mariano Pereira & Julián Martínez Correa & Gabriel Scattolo, 2018. "Public support to firm-level innovation: An evaluation of the FONTAR program," Estudios de Economia, University of Chile, Department of Economics, vol. 45(2), pages 251-269, December.
    34. Nguyen, Hoai Thu Thi & Vu, Huong Van & Bartolacci, Francesca & Quang Tran, Tuyen, 2018. "Government Support and Firm Performance in Vietnam," MPRA Paper 93599, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 12 Nov 2018.
    35. Yuri Simachev & Mikhail Kuzyk & Vera Feygina, 2015. "Public Support for Innovation in Russian Firms: Looking for Improvements in Corporate Performance Quality," International Advances in Economic Research, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 21(1), pages 13-31, March.
    36. Howell, Anthony, 2017. "Picking ‘winners' in China: Do subsidies matter for indigenous innovation and firm productivity?," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 154-165.
    37. Dong Xiang & Andrew C. Worthington, 2017. "The impact of government financial assistance on the performance and financing of Australian SMEs," Accounting Research Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 30(4), pages 447-464, November.
    38. Rehman, Naqeeb Ur, 2016. "Innovation Performance of Chilean SMEs: A Bivariate Probit Analysis," MPRA Paper 68827, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    39. Mehmet Ugur & Sefa Awaworyi Churchill & Edna Solomon, 2018. "Technological Innovation And Employment In Derived Labour Demand Models: A Hierarchical Meta†Regression Analysis," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(1), pages 50-82, February.
    40. Franziska Kampik & Bernhard Dachs, 2011. "The innovative performance of German multinationals abroad: evidence from the European community innovation survey," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 20(2), pages 661-681, April.
    41. T. D. Stanley, 2001. "Wheat from Chaff: Meta-analysis as Quantitative Literature Review," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 15(3), pages 131-150, Summer.
    42. Sarah Guillou & Christian Longhi, 2010. "Defense financing of private R & D : evidences from french firms," Post-Print halshs-00456765, HAL.
    43. Santos, Anabela, 2019. "Do selected firms show higher performance? The case of Portugal’s innovation subsidy," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 39-50.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Fei Liu & Ting Nan & Xinliang Wang, 2022. "Causes and Evolution Characteristics of Green Innovation Efficiency Loss: The Perspective of Factor Mismatch under Local Government Competition," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-29, July.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jugend, Daniel & Fiorini, Paula De Camargo & Armellini, Fabiano & Ferrari, Aline Gabriela, 2020. "Public support for innovation: A systematic review of the literature and implications for open innovation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    2. Beck, Mathias & Junge, Martin & Kaiser, Ulrich, 2017. "Public Funding and Corporate Innovation," IZA Discussion Papers 11196, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Kiman Kim & Sang Ok Choi & Sooyeon Lee, 2021. "The Effect of a Financial Support on Firm Innovation Collaboration and Output: Does Policy Work on the Diverse Nature of Firm Innovation?," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 12(2), pages 645-675, June.
    4. Zhou, Jianghua & Li, Jizhen & Jiao, Hao & Qiu, Hang & Liu, Zixu, 2020. "The more funding the better? The moderating role of knowledge stock on the effects of different government-funded research projects on firm innovation in Chinese cultural and creative industries," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 92.
    5. Enrico Vanino & Stephen Roper & Bettina Becker, 2020. "Knowledge to Money: Assessing the Business Performance Effects of Publicly Funded R&D Grants," ifo DICE Report, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 17(04), pages 20-24, January.
    6. Shuang Wang & Shukuan Zhao & Dong Shao & Hongyu Liu, 2020. "Impact of Government Subsidies on Manufacturing Innovation in China: The Moderating Role of Political Connections and Investor Attention," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-21, September.
    7. Lenihan, Helena & Mulligan, Kevin & Doran, Justin & Rammer, Christian & Ipinnaiye, Olubunmi, 2022. "R&D grant and tax credit support for foreign-owned subsidiaries: Does it pay off?," ZEW Discussion Papers 22-003, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    8. Bianchini, Stefano & Llerena, Patrick & Martino, Roberto, 2019. "The impact of R&D subsidies under different institutional frameworks," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 65-78.
    9. Ascensión Barajas & Elena Huergo & Lourdes Moreno, 2021. "The role of public loans in financing business R&D through the economic cycle," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 38(2), pages 505-538, July.
    10. Dai, Xiaoyong & Chapman, Gary, 2022. "R&D tax incentives and innovation: Examining the role of programme design in China," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    11. Junguo Shi & Bert M. Sadowski & Xinru Zeng & Shanshan Dou & Jie Xiong & Qiuya Song & Sihan Li, 2023. "Picking winners in strategic emerging industries using government subsidies in China: the role of market power," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-8, December.
    12. Mulligan, Kevin & Lenihan, Helena & Doran, Justin & Roper, Stephen, 2022. "Harnessing the science base: Results from a national programme using publicly-funded research centres to reshape firms’ R&D," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(4).
    13. Xing Shi & Yanrui Wu & Dahai Fu & Xiumei Guo & Huaqing Wu, 2019. "Effects of National Science and Technology Programs on Innovation in Chinese Firms," Asian Economic Papers, MIT Press, vol. 18(1), pages 207-236, Winter/Sp.
    14. Bettina Becker, 2020. "The Impact of Innovation Policy on Firm Innovation and Performance: A Review of Recent Research Developments," ifo DICE Report, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 17(04), pages 10-15, January.
    15. Mukhamad Najib & Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman & Farah Fahma, 2021. "Business Survival of Small and Medium-Sized Restaurants through a Crisis: The Role of Government Support and Innovation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-16, September.
    16. Corinne Autant-Bernard & Ruben Fotso & Nadine Massard, 2022. "Evaluating the impact of public policies on large firms: a synthetic control approach to science-industry transfer policies," Revue d'économie industrielle, De Boeck Université, vol. 0(4), pages 9-50.
    17. Raphaël CHIAPPINI & Sophie POMMET, 2023. "The impact of public support for innovation on SME performance and efficiency," Bordeaux Economics Working Papers 2023-06, Bordeaux School of Economics (BSE).
    18. Santos, Anabela, 2019. "Do selected firms show higher performance? The case of Portugal’s innovation subsidy," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 39-50.
    19. Szücs, Florian, 2018. "Research subsidies, industry–university cooperation and innovation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(7), pages 1256-1266.
    20. Alexandre, Fernando & Chaves, Miguel & Portela, Miguel, 2022. "Investment Grants and Firms' Productivity: How Effective Is a Grant Booster Shot?," IZA Discussion Papers 15779, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:8:p:4731-:d:794318. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.