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Effects of Foreign Ownership on Innovation Activities - Empirical Evidence for 12 European Countries

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  • Martin Falk

    (WIFO)

Abstract

In the present study we investigate the relationship between foreign ownership and innovation activities using the firm-level data of the third Community Innovation Survey (CIS) covering 12 European countries. Probit estimates based on 28,000 firms observations show that foreign owned firms are more innovative than domestic firms, particularly in the New EU Member States. However, results from the Blinder Oaxaca decomposition of the differences in the percentage of innovating firms between foreign owned and domestic firms reveals that the differences are mainly due to the different firm characteristics rather than the differences in coefficients. In particular, the dominance of foreign owned firms in the largest firm size group is the main factor contributing to the gap in the percentage of innovators between foreign owned firms and domestic firms. Furthermore, using the fractional logit model, we find that in the New EU Member States, foreign ownership has a positive and significant impact on the share of market novelties as well as on the share of new products in turnover. In this case, the results from the Blinder Oaxaca decomposition analysis indicate that the ownership difference in the share of innovative sales is not due to the differences in the observed firms' characteristics.

Suggested Citation

  • Martin Falk, 2008. "Effects of Foreign Ownership on Innovation Activities - Empirical Evidence for 12 European Countries," FIW Research Reports series I-020, FIW.
  • Handle: RePEc:wsr:ecbook:2008:i:i-020
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    Cited by:

    1. Aradhna Aggarwal, 2018. "The Impact of Foreign Ownership on Research and Development Intensity and Technology Acquisition in Indian Industries: Pre and Post Global Financial Crisis," Asian Development Review, MIT Press, vol. 35(1), pages 1-26, March.
    2. Kiss, János, 2022. "Innovatívabbak-e a termelékeny és az exportáló vállalatok? Egy magyar feldolgozóipari minta elemzése [Are productive and exporting companies more innovative? Analysis of a sample of Hungarian mediu," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(4), pages 502-516.
    3. Veland Ramadani & Hyrije Abazi-Alili & Léo-Paul Dana & Gadaf Rexhepi & Sadudin Ibraimi, 2017. "The impact of knowledge spillovers and innovation on firm-performance: findings from the Balkans countries," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 13(1), pages 299-325, March.
    4. Fagerberg, Jan & Srholec, Martin & Verspagen, Bart, 2010. "Innovation and Economic Development," Handbook of the Economics of Innovation, in: Bronwyn H. Hall & Nathan Rosenberg (ed.), Handbook of the Economics of Innovation, edition 1, volume 2, chapter 0, pages 833-872, Elsevier.
    5. Rahmouni, Mohieddine & Ayadi, Mohamed & YIldIzoglu, Murat, 2010. "Characteristics of innovating firms in Tunisia: The essential role of external knowledge sources," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 21(3), pages 181-196, August.
    6. Choi, Suk Bong & Lee, Soo Hee & Williams, Christopher, 2011. "Ownership and firm innovation in a transition economy: Evidence from China," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(3), pages 441-452, April.
    7. Jaan Masso & Tõnu Roolaht & Urmas Varblane, 2010. "Foreign Direct Investment And Innovation In Central And Eastern Europe: Evidence From Estonia," University of Tartu - Faculty of Economics and Business Administration Working Paper Series 67, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, University of Tartu (Estonia).
    8. Pascal L. Ghazalian & Ali Fakih, 2017. "R&D and Innovation in Food Processing Firms in Transition Countries," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 68(2), pages 427-450, June.
    9. Spencer, Andrew J. & Buhalis, Dimitrios & Moital, Miguel, 2012. "A hierarchical model of technology adoption for small owner-managed travel firms: An organizational decision-making and leadership perspective," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 33(5), pages 1195-1208.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Foreign Direct Investment; foreign ownership; multinational firms; product and process innovations;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F23 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Multinational Firms; International Business
    • C24 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Truncated and Censored Models; Switching Regression Models; Threshold Regression Models
    • C25 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Discrete Regression and Qualitative Choice Models; Discrete Regressors; Proportions; Probabilities
    • L2 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior
    • O3 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights

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