IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/run/wpaper/2021-002.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Can Industrial Policy Buy Ideas? Investment Promotion and Innovation

Author

Listed:
  • Beata Javorcik
  • Mariana Spatareanu

Abstract

This paper argues that innovation can be facilitated by policies promoting inflows of foreign direct investment. It examines the relationship between national investment promotion efforts targeting particular sectors and the number of patent applications (or patents granted) for innovations involving at least one local inventor filed at the US Patent and Trademark Office in the technology class belonging to the targeted sector. The difference-in-differences results suggest that innovation increases in sectors explicitly targeted by investment promotion agencies. This relationship is stronger for more R&D-intensive industries belonging to the targeted sector. Focusing on an interaction between an industry characteristic and the policy instrument allows to control for country-sector-year fixed effects that absorb all the unobservables that may determine the choice of targeted sectors in a given year in a given country.

Suggested Citation

  • Beata Javorcik & Mariana Spatareanu, 2021. "Can Industrial Policy Buy Ideas? Investment Promotion and Innovation," Working Papers Rutgers University, Newark 2021-002, Department of Economics, Rutgers University, Newark.
    • Handle: RePEc:run:wpaper:2021-002
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://sasn.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/sites/default/files/inline-files/Javorcik_Spatareanu_2021%2006%2027_WP_RutgersU.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jesse Perla & Christopher Tonetti & Michael E. Waugh, 2021. "Equilibrium Technology Diffusion, Trade, and Growth," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 111(1), pages 73-128, January.
    2. Beata S. Javorcik & Alessia Lo Turco & Daniela Maggioni, 2018. "New and Improved: Does FDI Boost Production Complexity in Host Countries?," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 128(614), pages 2507-2537, September.
    3. Torfinn Harding & Beata S. Javorcik, 2011. "Roll Out the Red Carpet and They Will Come: Investment Promotion and FDI Inflows," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 121(557), pages 1445-1476, December.
    4. Borensztein, E. & De Gregorio, J. & Lee, J-W., 1998. "How does foreign direct investment affect economic growth?1," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(1), pages 115-135, June.
    5. Alfaro, Laura & Chanda, Areendam & Kalemli-Ozcan, Sebnem & Sayek, Selin, 2004. "FDI and economic growth: the role of local financial markets," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(1), pages 89-112, October.
    6. Beata Javorcik & Steven Poelhekke, 2017. "Former Foreign Affiliates: Cast Out and Outperformed?," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 15(3), pages 501-539.
    7. Crescenzi, Riccardo & Di Cataldo, Marco & Giua, Mara, 2021. "FDI inflows in Europe: Does investment promotion work?," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    8. Sari Pekkala Kerr & William R. Kerr, 2018. "Global Collaborative Patents," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 128(612), pages 235-272, July.
    9. Alonso Alfaro-Ureña & Isabela Manelici & Jose P Vasquez, 2022. "The Effects of Joining Multinational Supply Chains: New Evidence from Firm-to-Firm Linkages," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 137(3), pages 1495-1552.
    10. Fredrik Andersson & John C. Haltiwanger & Mark J. Kutzbach & Giordano Palloni & Henry O. Pollakowski & Daniel H. Weinberg, 2013. "Childhood Housing and Adult Earnings: A Between-Siblings Analysis of Housing Vouchers and Public Housing," Working Papers 13-48, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
    11. Matthias Arnold, Jens & Javorcik, Beata S., 2009. "Gifted kids or pushy parents? Foreign direct investment and plant productivity in Indonesia," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(1), pages 42-53, September.
    12. Francisco J. Buera & Ezra Oberfield, 2020. "The Global Diffusion of Ideas," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 88(1), pages 83-114, January.
    13. Havranek, Tomas & Irsova, Zuzana, 2011. "Estimating vertical spillovers from FDI: Why results vary and what the true effect is," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(2), pages 234-244.
    14. Torfinn Harding & Beata S. Javorcik, 2012. "Foreign Direct Investment and Export Upgrading," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 94(4), pages 964-980, November.
    15. Laura Alfaro & Maggie X. Chen, 2018. "Selection and Market Reallocation: Productivity Gains from Multinational Production," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 10(2), pages 1-38, May.
    16. Javorcik, Beata S. & Spatareanu, Mariana, 2011. "Does it matter where you come from? Vertical spillovers from foreign direct investment and the origin of investors," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(1), pages 126-138, September.
    17. Charlton Andrew & Davis Nicholas, 2007. "Does Investment Promotion Work?," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 7(1), pages 1-21, August.
    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. Beata S. Javorcik & Alessia Lo Turco & Daniela Maggioni, 2018. "New and Improved: Does FDI Boost Production Complexity in Host Countries?," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 128(614), pages 2507-2537, September.
    2. Nicola Cortinovis & Riccardo Crescenzi & Frank van Oort, 2020. "Multinational enterprises, industrial relatedness and employment in European regions [Innovation: mapping the winds of creative destruction]," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 20(5), pages 1165-1205.
    3. Jordaan,Jacob Arie & Douw,Willem & Qiang,Zhenwei, 2020. "Multinational Corporation Affiliates, Backward Linkages, and Productivity Spillovers in Developing and Emerging Economies : Evidence and Policy Making," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9364, The World Bank.
    4. Blanga-Gubbay, Michael & Rubínová, Stela, 2023. "Foreign direct investment, trade and economic development: An overview," WTO Staff Working Papers ERSD-2023-11, World Trade Organization (WTO), Economic Research and Statistics Division.
    5. Rajneesh Narula & André Pineli, 2019. "Improving the developmental impact of multinational enterprises: policy and research challenges," Economia e Politica Industriale: Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, Springer;Associazione Amici di Economia e Politica Industriale, vol. 46(1), pages 1-24, March.
    6. Antonietti, Roberto & Franco, Chiara, 2021. "From FDI to economic complexity: a panel Granger causality analysis," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 225-239.
    7. Jerónimo Carballo & Ignacio Marra de Artiñano & Christian Volpe Martincus, 2021. "Information Frictions, Investment Promotion, and Multinational Production: Firm-Level Evidence," CESifo Working Paper Series 9043, CESifo.
    8. Karolien Lenaerts & Bruno Merlevede, 2018. "Indirect productivity effects from foreign direct investment and multinational firm heterogeneity," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 154(2), pages 377-400, May.
    9. Stavros Poupakis, 2022. "Does FDI in Upstream and Downstream Sectors Facilitate Quality Upgrading? Evidence from Russian Exporters," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 84(2), pages 451-471, April.
    10. Harms, Philipp & Wacker, Konstantin M., 2019. "The special issue on FDI and multinational corporations: An introduction," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), vol. 13, pages 1-7.
    11. Maria Borga & Perla Ibarlucea Flores & Monika Sztajerowska, 2020. "Drivers of divestment decisions of multinational enterprises - A cross-country firm-level perspective," OECD Working Papers on International Investment 2019/03, OECD Publishing.
    12. Iršová, Zuzana & Havránek, Tomáš, 2013. "Determinants of Horizontal Spillovers from FDI: Evidence from a Large Meta-Analysis," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 1-15.
    13. Christian Fons-Rosen & Sebnem Kalemli-Ozcan & Bent E. Sørensen & Carolina Villegas-Sanchez & Vadym Volosovych, 2012. "Where are the Productivity Gains from Foreign Investment? Evidence on Spillovers and Reallocation from Firms, Industries and Countries," DEGIT Conference Papers c017_064, DEGIT, Dynamics, Economic Growth, and International Trade.
    14. Tomáš Havránek & Zuzana Iršová, 2011. "How to Stir Up FDI Spillovers: Evidence from a Large Meta-Analysis," Working Papers IES 2011/34, Charles University Prague, Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Economic Studies, revised Oct 2011.
    15. K. Lenaerts & B. Merlevede, 2014. "FDI Spillovers and Multinational Firm Heterogeneity," Working Papers of Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Ghent University, Belgium 14/879, Ghent University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration.
    16. Crescenzi, Riccardo & Di Cataldo, Marco & Giua, Mara, 2021. "FDI inflows in Europe: Does investment promotion work?," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    17. Segundo Camino-Mogro & Natalia Bermúdez-Barrezueta & Mary Armijos, 2023. "Is FDI a potential tool for boosting firm’s performance? Firm level evidence from Ecuador," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 33(2), pages 341-391, April.
    18. Konstantin M. Wacker & Philipp Grosskurth & Tabea Lakemann, 2016. "Foreign Direct Investment, Terms of Trade, and Quality Upgrading: What Is So Special about South Asia?," Asian Development Review, MIT Press, vol. 33(1), pages 28-55, March.
    19. Yoshimichi Murakami & Keijiro Otsuka, 2020. "Governance, Information Spillovers, and Productivity of Local Firms: Toward an Integrated Approach to Foreign Direct Investment and Global Value Chains," The Developing Economies, Institute of Developing Economies, vol. 58(2), pages 134-174, June.
    20. Ali, Nesma & Stiebale, Joel, 2021. "Foreign direct investment, prices and efficiency: Evidence from India," DICE Discussion Papers 363, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf Institute for Competition Economics (DICE).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    foreign direct investment; investment promotion; innovation; patents;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F21 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Investment; Long-Term Capital Movements
    • F23 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Multinational Firms; International Business
    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives

    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:run:wpaper:2021-002. 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: Maria Rosales-Rueda (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/edrutus.html .

    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.