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Exporting, R&D and Absorptive Capacity in UK Establishments: Evidence from the 2001 Community Innovation Survey

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Abstract

This paper models the determinants of exporting (both export propensity and export intensity), with a particular emphasis on the importance of absorptive capacity and the endogenous link between exporting and R&D. Based on a merged dataset of the 2001 Community Innovation Survey and the 2000 Annual Respondents Database for the UK, our results suggest that alongside other factors, undertaking R&D activities and having greater absorptive capacity (for scientific knowledge, co-operation with international organisations, and organisational structure and HRM practices) significantly reduce entry barriers into export markets, having controlled for selfselectivity into exporting and the endogenous link between exporting and R&D. Nevertheless, conditional on entry, only greater absorptive capacity (for scientific knowledge) seems to further boost export performance in international markets, whereas spending on R&D no longer has an impact on exporting behaviour once we have taken into account its endogenous nature.

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  • R Harris & Q Li, "undated". "Exporting, R&D and Absorptive Capacity in UK Establishments: Evidence from the 2001 Community Innovation Survey," Working Papers 2006_19, Business School - Economics, University of Glasgow.
    • Handle: RePEc:gla:glaewp:2006_19
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    3. Gans Joshua S & King Stephen P, 2003. "The Neutrality of Interchange Fees in Payment Systems," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 3(1), pages 1-18, January.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    exports; R&D; absorptive capacity; sample selection;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L25 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Performance
    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes
    • R38 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Real Estate Markets, Spatial Production Analysis, and Firm Location - - - Government Policy

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