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Knowledge Spillovers and Productivity Growth: Role of Absorptive Capacity in the Indian Manufacturing Sector

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  • Ipsita Roy

    (Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
    National Institute of Technology Rourkela)

  • Sourabh Bikas Paul

    (Indian Institute of Technology Delhi)

Abstract

The paper explores the role of absorptive capacity in understanding the association between international knowledge spillovers and total factor productivity (TFP) growth in Indian manufacturing. Imports and FDI provide two major channels of knowledge spillovers while private research and development (R&D) and education-weighted human capital are used as proxies for domestic absorptive capacity. Applying pooled linear regression on 2-digit manufacturing sectors based on NIC 2008 (ISIC Rev. 4) for 2000–2016 in India, positive spillover effects of FDI and imports on TFP growth are confirmed. However, when looking at moderation effects, absorptive capacity is found to moderate the relationship between knowledge spillovers and domestic productivity negatively. When the manufacturing sectors are sub-grouped based on their technological intensities, interesting differences emerge. For the low-tech and medium–low-tech sectors, spillovers from FDI negatively affect TFP. In contrast, in the high-tech and medium–high-tech sectors, spillovers from imports as well as FDI have a dampening effect on productivity. With respect to interaction effects, absorptive capacity negatively moderates the relationship between FDI spillovers and TFP growth in the low-tech sectors. In the high-tech sectors, interestingly, human capital positively moderates import spillovers for productivity growth while no such moderation effect is found for R&D. Overall, results indicate that industries witnessing considerable FDI inflows and imports in recent years have not experienced direct productivity gains in the same proportion. This highlights the importance of absorptive capacity for productivity growth and the need for policy intervention at disaggregated sectoral level in India.

Suggested Citation

  • Ipsita Roy & Sourabh Bikas Paul, 2022. "Knowledge Spillovers and Productivity Growth: Role of Absorptive Capacity in the Indian Manufacturing Sector," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 22(2), pages 233-257, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jincot:v:22:y:2022:i:2:d:10.1007_s10842-022-00382-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s10842-022-00382-y
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