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Systemic aspects of R&D policy: Subsidies for R&D collaborations and their effects on private R&D

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  • Engel, Dirk
  • Rothgang, Michael
  • Eckl, Verena

Abstract

The paper analyses how context and time dependent factors determine the impulse of R&D subsidies on firm behavior with respect to private R&D expenditures. Based on data from the German R&D survey, we combine propensity-score matching with a difference-in-difference-estimator in order to measure the causal influence of public direct R&D project funding on firm behavior. Our results indicate that (i) repeated participation in R&D projects on average leads to a higher increase in R&D expenditures than one-time funding; (ii) the aggregate effect of R&D funding on R&D expenditures of business firms is somewhat higher for business and business collaboration projects than for science and business collaboration projects; (iii) R&D expenditures of business firms that cooperate with science show a higher share of external R&D spending. Results of one particular cluster programme indicate that at least the short-term development of R&D does not so much depend on which programme direct R&D project funding is applied to.

Suggested Citation

  • Engel, Dirk & Rothgang, Michael & Eckl, Verena, 2015. "Systemic aspects of R&D policy: Subsidies for R&D collaborations and their effects on private R&D," Ruhr Economic Papers 587, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
  • Handle: RePEc:zbw:rwirep:587
    DOI: 10.4419/86788682
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    Cited by:

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    2. Andrea Bellucci & Luca Pennacchio & Alberto Zazzaro, 2019. "Public R&D subsidies: collaborative versus individual place-based programs for SMEs," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 52(1), pages 213-240, January.
    3. Buccella, Domenico & Fanti, Luciano & Gori, Luca, 2023. "The disclosure decision game: Subsidies and incentives for R&D activity," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 11-26.
    4. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/401t6job098n79ch91o9giov9d is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Nils Grashof, 2020. "Sinking or swimming in the cluster labour pool? A firm-specific analysis of the effect of specialized labour," Jena Economics Research Papers 2020-006, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena.
    6. Steinberg, Philip J. & Procher, Vivien D. & Urbig, Diemo, 2017. "Too much or too little of R&D offshoring: The impact of captive offshoring and contract offshoring on innovation performance," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(10), pages 1810-1823.
    7. Grashof, Nils, 2020. "Putting the watering can away Towards a targeted (problem-oriented) cluster policy framework," Papers in Innovation Studies 2020/4, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.
    8. Lee, Jeongwon & Hwang, Junseok & Kim, Hana, 2022. "Different government support effects on emerging and mature ICT sectors," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    9. Ahn, Joon Mo & Lee, Weonvin & Mortara, Letizia, 2020. "Do government R&D subsidies stimulate collaboration initiatives in private firms?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    10. Andrea Bellucci & Luca Pennacchio & Alberto Zazzaro, 2019. "R&D Subsidies and Firms’ Debt Financing," CSEF Working Papers 527, Centre for Studies in Economics and Finance (CSEF), University of Naples, Italy.
    11. Andrea Bellucci & Luca Pennacchio & Alberto Zazzaro, 2016. "Public subsidies for SME research and development: Empirical evaluation of collaborative versus individual place-based programs," Mo.Fi.R. Working Papers 133, Money and Finance Research group (Mo.Fi.R.) - Univ. Politecnica Marche - Dept. Economic and Social Sciences.
    12. Riccardo Pariboni & Pasquale Tridico, 2020. "Structural change, institutions and the dynamics of labor productivity in Europe," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 30(5), pages 1275-1300, November.
    13. Bettina Becker, 2020. "The Impact of Innovation Policy on Firm Innovation and Performance: A Review of Recent Research Developments," ifo DICE Report, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 17(04), pages 10-15, January.
    14. Huan Du & Jian Hu & Huaxuan Wu & Tieshan Li & Lingjuan Chen, 2023. "Analysis of the Threshold Effect of Renewable Energy Industry Subsidies Based on the Perspective of Industry Life Cycle," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1-19, October.
    15. Nils Grashof, 2020. "Spill over or Spill out? - A multilevel analysis of the cluster and firm performance relationship," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 2013, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Mar 2020.
    16. Michael Rothgang & Bernhard Lageman & Anne-Marie Scholz, 2021. "Why are there so few hard facts about the impact of cluster policies in Germany? A critical review of evaluation studies," Review of Evolutionary Political Economy, Springer, vol. 2(1), pages 105-139, April.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    R&D; public subsidies; collaboration; policy evaluation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C14 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Semiparametric and Nonparametric Methods: General
    • C25 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Discrete Regression and Qualitative Choice Models; Discrete Regressors; Proportions; Probabilities
    • H50 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - General
    • O38 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Government Policy

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