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Do Regional Investment Grants Improve Firm Performance? Evidence from Sweden

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Abstract

The effect of Swedish regional investment grants during 1990-1999 on firm performance, in terms of returns on equity and number of employees, were studied using a propensity-score matching-method to control for sample selection. Firms that received grants did not perform better in terms of returns on equity when compared to matched firms in the control group. In most years, recipient firms also did not hire more employees. The results thus cast doubt on the use of regional investment grants as a general policy instrument to improve firm performance.

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  • Ankarheim, Mattias & Daunfeldt, Sven-Olov & Quoreshi, Shahiduzzaman & Rudholm, Niklas, 2009. "Do Regional Investment Grants Improve Firm Performance? Evidence from Sweden," Working Papers in Economics 04/09, University of Bergen, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:bergec:2009_004
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    1. Richard Harris & Catherine Robinson, 2004. "Industrial Policy In Great Britain And Its Effect On Total Factor Productivity In Manufacturing Plants, 1990–1998," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 51(4), pages 528-543, September.
    2. Colin Wren, 2005. "Regional grants: are they worth it?," Fiscal Studies, Institute for Fiscal Studies, vol. 26(2), pages 245-275, June.
    3. Richard Harris & Mary Trainor, 2005. "Capital Subsidies and their Impact on Total Factor Productivity: Firm‐Level Evidence from Northern Ireland," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(1), pages 49-74, February.
    4. Richard Harris & Mary Trainor, 2007. "Impact of Government Intervention on Employment Change and Plant Closure in Northern Ireland, 1983-97," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(1), pages 51-63.
    5. Dimitris Skuras & Kostas Tsekouras & Efthalia Dimara & Dimitris Tzelepis, 2006. "The Effects of Regional Capital Subsidies on Productivity Growth: A Case Study of the Greek Food and Beverage Manufacturing Industry," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(2), pages 355-381, May.
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    1. John Moffat, 2015. "Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) in Scotland: Does It Make a Difference to Plant Survival?," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(4), pages 568-581, April.
    2. Zdeňka Náglová & Jindřich Špička & Martin Gürtler, 2016. "Evaluation of Effects of Investment Support in the Czech Dairy Industry," Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, Mendel University Press, vol. 64(4), pages 1345-1351.
    3. Gosk Beata & Nehrebecka Natalia, 2019. "Are subsidies for Polish enterprises effective: empirical results based on panel data," Central European Economic Journal, Sciendo, vol. 6(53), pages 108-131, January.
    4. Zdeňka Náglová, 2018. "Investment Subsidies in the Meat Industry and Their Impact on Business Economics," Central European Business Review, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2018(1), pages 37-45.
    5. Simon Falck & Hans Westlund, 2013. "Regional Grants And Fdi Location: Evidence From Swedish Regional Policy Programs 2002-2009," Romanian Journal of Regional Science, Romanian Regional Science Association, vol. 7(1), pages 36-68, JUNE.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Economic efficiency; propensity score matching; sample selection; logit regression; panel data;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes
    • R58 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Regional Government Analysis - - - Regional Development Planning and Policy

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