IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/hal/journl/hal-05534454.html

A Test of the Schumpeterian Hypothesis using a selection of European Electric Utilities

Author

Listed:
  • Evens Salies

    (OFCE - Observatoire français des conjonctures économiques (Sciences Po) - Sciences Po - Sciences Po)

Abstract

Evidence is mounting of the decline in R&D investment by US and UK electric utilities in the wake of liberalisation in those markets. The present study attempts to identify the drivers of a similar decline seen in Europe, using a sample of major electric utilities. Unlike previous econometric studies, the paper explores the so-called Schumpeterian hypothesis. Model estimation indicates that R&D spending varies at least proportionally with size and that electricity deregulation had a negative impact on R&D efforts. Potential knock-on effects of firms' financial policy and other firm-level variables on R&D are investigated. The role of factors at the country-level is also considered, including M&A activity and the national share of electricity generated from "green" sources.

Suggested Citation

  • Evens Salies, 2010. "A Test of the Schumpeterian Hypothesis using a selection of European Electric Utilities," Post-Print hal-05534454, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05534454
    DOI: 10.4337/9781781000632.00015
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://sciencespo.hal.science/hal-05534454v1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://sciencespo.hal.science/hal-05534454v1/document
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.4337/9781781000632.00015?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jamasb, Tooraj & Pollitt, Michael G., 2011. "Electricity sector liberalisation and innovation: An analysis of the UK's patenting activities," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(2), pages 309-324, March.
    2. John B. Guerard, Jr. & Alden S. Bean & Steven Andrews, 1987. "R&D Management and Corporate Financial Policy," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 33(11), pages 1419-1427, November.
    3. Nick Johnstone & Ivan Haščič & David Popp, 2010. "Renewable Energy Policies and Technological Innovation: Evidence Based on Patent Counts," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 45(1), pages 133-155, January.
    4. Al-Sunaidy, A. & Green, R., 2006. "Electricity deregulation in OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 31(6), pages 769-787.
    5. Paroma Sanyal, 2007. "The effect of deregulation on environmental research by electric utilities," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 31(3), pages 335-353, June.
    6. P. Mohnen & F. Palm & S. Loeff & A. Tiwari, 2008. "Financial Constraints and Other Obstacles: are they a Threat to Innovation Activity?," De Economist, Springer, vol. 156(2), pages 201-214, June.
    7. Nelson, Richard R. & Wolff, Edward N., 1997. "Factors behind cross-industry differences in technical progress," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 8(2), pages 205-220, June.
    8. Cohen, Wesley M & Klepper, Steven, 1996. "A Reprise of Size and R&D," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 106(437), pages 925-951, July.
    9. Evens Salies, 2008. "Mergers in the GB electricity market: effects on retail charges," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(11), pages 1483-1490.
    10. Patrick Musso & Stefano Schiavo, 2008. "The impact of financial constraints on firm survival and growth," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 18(2), pages 135-149, April.
    11. George Symeonidis, 1996. "Innovation, Firm Size and Market Structure: Schumpeterian Hypotheses and Some New Themes," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 161, OECD Publishing.
    12. Jörg Mahlich & Thomas Roediger-Schluga, 2006. "The Determinants of Pharmaceutical R&D Expenditures: Evidence from Japan," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 28(2), pages 145-164, March.
    13. repec:spo:wpecon:info:hdl:2441/6119 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Ronald P. Wilder & Stanley R. Stansell, 1974. "Determinants of Research and Development Activity by Electric Utilities," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 5(2), pages 646-650, Autumn.
    15. Albert Jolink & Eva Niesten, 2008. "Governance transformations through regulations in the electricity sector: the Dutch case," International Review of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(4), pages 499-508.
    16. Brouwer, Erik & Kleinknecht, Alfred, 1996. "Firm Size, Small Business Presence and Sales of Innovative Products: A Micro-econometric Analysis," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 8(3), pages 189-201, June.
    17. Gulli, Francesco, 1995. "Product and process innovation in the energy industry : The development of integrated tar gasification combined cycle plants (ITGCC)," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 23(8), pages 647-658, August.
    18. Jamasb, Tooraj & Pollitt, Michael, 2008. "Liberalisation and R&D in network industries: The case of the electricity industry," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(6-7), pages 995-1008, July.
    19. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/6119 is not listed on IDEAS
    20. Horbach, Jens, 2008. "Determinants of environmental innovation--New evidence from German panel data sources," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 163-173, February.
    21. Dominique Foray & Bronwyn H. Hall & Jacques Mairesse, 2007. "Pitfalls in estimating the returns to corporate R&D using accounting data," CEMI Working Papers cemi-workingpaper-2007-00, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Collège du Management de la Technologie, Management of Technology and Entrepreneurship Institute, Chaire en Economie et Management de l'Innovation.
    22. Blacconiere, Walter G. & Johnson, Marilyn F. & Johnson, Mark S., 2000. "Market valuation and deregulation of electric utilities," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 29(2), pages 231-260, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Evens Salies, 2010. "A Test of the Schumpeterian Hypothesis in a Panel of European Electric Utilities," Chapters, in: Jean-Luc Gaffard & Evens Salies (ed.), Innovation, Economic Growth and the Firm, chapter 6, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    2. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/eu4vqp9ompqllr09hc033ieaj is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Evens Salies & Lionel Nesta, 2010. "Libéralisation et dépôts de brevets verts des utilités électriques en Europe," Sciences Po Economics Publications (main) hal-01069447, HAL.
    4. repec:spo:wpecon:info:hdl:2441/eu4vqp9ompqllr09hc033ieaj is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Costa-Campi, M.T. & Duch-Brown, N. & García-Quevedo, J., 2014. "R&D drivers and obstacles to innovation in the energy industry," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 20-30.
    6. Kim, Jihwan & Kim, Yeonbae & Flacher, David, 2012. "R&D investment of electricity-generating firms following industry restructuring," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 103-117.
    7. Costa-Campi, M.T. & Duch-Brown, N. & García-Quevedo, J., 2014. "R&D drivers and obstacles to innovation in the energy industry," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 20-30.
    8. Nesta, Lionel & Vona, Francesco & Nicolli, Francesco, 2014. "Environmental policies, competition and innovation in renewable energy," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 67(3), pages 396-411.
    9. Francesco Nicolli & Francesco Vona & Lionel Nesta, 2012. "Determinants of Renewable Energy Innovation: Environmental Policies vs. Market Regulation," Working Papers 201204, University of Ferrara, Department of Economics.
    10. Marino, Marianna & Parrotta, Pierpaolo & Valletta, Giacomo, 2019. "Electricity (de)regulation and innovation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(3), pages 748-758.
    11. repec:ial:wpaper:3 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Sterlacchini, Alessandro, 2012. "Energy R&D in private and state-owned utilities: An analysis of the major world electric companies," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 494-506.
    13. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/f6h8764enu2lskk9p4oq2cqb0 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/eu4vqp9ompqllr09j0h0ji242 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Schmitt, Stephan & Kucsera, Denes, 2013. "The Impact of the Regulatory Reform Process on R&D Investment of European Electricity Utilities," VfS Annual Conference 2013 (Duesseldorf): Competition Policy and Regulation in a Global Economic Order 80035, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    16. repec:spo:wpecon:info:hdl:2441/eu4vqp9ompqllr09j0h0ji242 is not listed on IDEAS
    17. Jamasb, Tooraj & Pollitt, Michael G., 2015. "Why and how to subsidise energy R+D: Lessons from the collapse and recovery of electricity innovation in the UK," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 197-205.
    18. Tiziana Di Cimbrini & Fabrizio Maturo & Stefania Migliori & Francesco Paolone, 2018. "Innovation Propensity in the Specialized Suppliers Industry," International Business Research, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 11(10), pages 129-148, October.
    19. Geoffroy G Dolphin & Michael G Pollitt, 2020. "Identifying innovative actors in the Electricity Supply Industry using machine learning: an application to UK patent data," Working Papers EPRG2004, Energy Policy Research Group, Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge.
    20. Marin, Giovanni, 2014. "Do eco-innovations harm productivity growth through crowding out? Results of an extended CDM model for Italy," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(2), pages 301-317.
    21. Agyeman, Stephen Duah & Lin, Boqiang, 2023. "Electricity industry (de)regulation and innovation in negative-emission technologies: How do market liberalization influences climate change mitigation?," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 270(C).
    22. Jamasb, Tooraj & Llorca, Manuel & Meeus, Leonardo & Schittekatte, Tim, 2020. "Energy Network Innovation for Green Transition: Economic Issues and Regulatory Options," Working Papers 18-2020, Copenhagen Business School, Department of Economics.
    23. Wang, Nan & Mogi, Gento, 2017. "Deregulation, market competition, and innovation of utilities: Evidence from Japanese electric sector," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 403-413.
    24. Valeria Costantini & Francesco Crespi & Giovanni Marin & Elena Paglialunga, 2016. "Eco-innovation, sustainable supply chains and environmental performance in European industries," LEM Papers Series 2016/19, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
    25. Niccolò Murtas, 2025. "Modelling the green knowledge production function with large panel data econometrics," SEEDS Working Papers 0725, SEEDS, Sustainability Environmental Economics and Dynamics Studies, revised Jul 2025.
    26. Christoph P. Kiefer & Pablo Del Río González & Javier Carrillo‐Hermosilla, 2019. "Drivers and barriers of eco‐innovation types for sustainable transitions: A quantitative perspective," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(1), pages 155-172, January.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:hal:journl:hal-05534454. 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: CCSD (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/ .

    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.