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The impact of R&D subsidy on innovation: a study of New Zealand firms

Author

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  • Adam Jaffe

    (Motu Economic and Public Policy Research)

  • Trinh Le

    (Motu Economic and Public Policy Research)

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of government assistance through R&D grants on innovation output for firms in New Zealand. Using a large database that links administrative and tax data with survey data, we are able to control for large number of firm characteristics and thus minimise selection bias. We find that receipt of an R&D grant significantly increases the probability that a firm in the manufacturing and service sectors applies for a patent during 2005–2009, but no positive impact is found on the probability of applying for a trademark. Using only firms that participated in the Business Operation Survey, we find that receiving a grant almost doubles the probability that a firm introduces new goods and services to the world while its effects on process innovation and any product innovation are relatively much weaker. Moreover, there is little evidence that grant receipt has differential effects between small to medium (

Suggested Citation

  • Adam Jaffe & Trinh Le, 2015. "The impact of R&D subsidy on innovation: a study of New Zealand firms," Working Papers 15_08, Motu Economic and Public Policy Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:mtu:wpaper:15_08
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    Cited by:

    1. Antoine Dechezlepretre & Elias Einio & Ralf Martin & Kieu-Trang Nguyen & John Van Reenen, 2016. "Do tax incentives for research increase firm innovation? An RD design for R&D," GRI Working Papers 230, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.
    2. Chiara Criscuolo & Ralf Martin & Henry G. Overman & John Van Reenen, 2019. "Some Causal Effects of an Industrial Policy," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 109(1), pages 48-85, January.
    3. Xu, Kun & Guan, Zhihua & Xu, Wenli, 2015. "省级财政支出效率空间溢出效应研究：基于超效率dea和gsm模型 [Study on Spatial Spillover Effect of Provincial Fiscal Efficiency: Based on Super-Efficient DEA and GSM Model]," MPRA Paper 71132, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. George A Shinkle & Jo-Ann Suchard, 2019. "Innovation in newly public firms: The influence of government grants, venture capital, and private equity," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 44(2), pages 248-281, May.
    5. Aleksandar Giga & Alexandra Graddy-Reed & Andrea Belz & Richard J. Terrile & Fernando Zapatero, 2022. "Helping the Little Guy: the impact of government awards on small technology firms," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 47(3), pages 846-871, June.
    6. Riccardo Crescenzi & Guido de Blasio & Mara Giua, 2020. "Cohesion Policy incentives for collaborative industrial research: evaluation of a Smart Specialisation forerunner programme," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(10), pages 1341-1353, October.
    7. Reda Cherif & Christoph Grimpe & Fuad Hasanov & Wolfgang Sofka, 2023. "Promoting Innovation: The Differential Impact of R&D Subsidies," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 187-241, December.
    8. Lily Fang & Josh Lerner & Chaopeng Wu & Qi Zhang, 2018. "Corruption, Government Subsidies, and Innovation: Evidence from China," NBER Working Papers 25098, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. Iryna Kalenyuk & Liudmyla Tsymbal, 2021. "Assessment of the intellectual component in economic development," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 126(6), pages 4793-4816, June.
    10. Lu, Chao & Liu, Hu-Chen & Tao, Jie & Rong, Ke & Hsieh, Ying-Che, 2017. "A key stakeholder-based financial subsidy stimulation for Chinese EV industrialization: A system dynamics simulation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 1-14.
    11. Cui, Xin & Wang, Chunfeng & Liao, Jing & Fang, Zhenming & Cheng, Feiyang, 2021. "Economic policy uncertainty exposure and corporate innovation investment: Evidence from China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    12. Kong, Deyang & Xia, Quhong & Xue, Yixi & Zhao, Xin, 2020. "Effects of multi policies on electric vehicle diffusion under subsidy policy abolishment in China: A multi-actor perspective," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 266(C).
    13. Thomas H. W. Ziesemer, 2021. "The Effects of R&D Subsidies and Publicly Performed R&D on Business R&D: A Survey," Hacienda Pública Española / Review of Public Economics, IEF, vol. 236(1), pages 171-205, March.
    14. Fangyu Ye & Qilong Deng, 2021. "Strategies for poverty alleviation supply chain with government subsidies and misreporting behavior in China," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(7), pages 1-19, July.
    15. Xun Zhang & Meng Shi & Biao Xu, 2019. "Do Government R&D Subsidies Cultivate Enterprises’ Voluntary National/Industry Standard-Setting for Sustainable Development?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-20, October.
    16. Megersa Debela Daksa & Molla Alemayehu Yismaw & Sisay Diriba Lemessa & Shemelis Kebede Hundie, 2018. "Enterprise innovation in developing countries: an evidence from Ethiopia," Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 7(1), pages 1-19, December.
    17. Wolfgang Sofka & Christoph Grimpe & Fuad Hasanov & Reda Cherif, 2022. "Additionality or opportunism: Do host-country R&D subsidies impact innovation in foreign MNC subsidiaries?," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 5(3), pages 296-327, September.
    18. Paul Conway, 2016. "Achieving New Zealand's productivity potential," Working Papers 2016/01, New Zealand Productivity Commission.
    19. Chen Weijun, 2022. "The Impact of Government Support and Technological Innovation on Enterprise Performance: A Case Study of Guangdong Hi- tech Enterprises," International Journal of Science and Business, IJSAB International, vol. 14(1), pages 196-231.
    20. Adel Ben Khalifa, 2018. "Government Supports and Technology Adoption: Evidence from Tunisia," Journal of Economic Development, Chung-Ang Unviersity, Department of Economics, vol. 43(4), pages 41-70, December.
    21. Unsal, Omer, 2020. "Two faces of corporate lobbying: Evidence from the pharmaceutical industry," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    22. Jun Wen & Mingbo Zheng & Gen-Fu Feng & Sunwu Winfred Chen & Chun-Ping Chang, 2018. "Corruption And Innovation: Linear And Nonlinear Investigations Of Oecd Countries," The Singapore Economic Review (SER), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 65(01), pages 103-129, July.
    23. Simon Wakeman & Trinh Le, 2015. "Measuring the innovative activity of New Zealand firms," Working Papers 2015/02, New Zealand Productivity Commission.
    24. Cameron Hepburn & Jacquelyn Pless & David Popp, 2018. "Policy Brief—Encouraging Innovation that Protects Environmental Systems: Five Policy Proposals," Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 12(1), pages 154-169.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Industrial policy; innovation; R&D;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
    • O34 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Intellectual Property and Intellectual Capital
    • O38 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Government Policy

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