The significance of FDI for innovation activities within domestic firms - The case of Central East European transition economies
Jutta Günther
IWH Discussion Papers,
No. 162,
2002
Abstract
Foreign direct investment is expected to play a significant role as a multiplier of modern production- and management-know-how in Central East European transition economies. The so-called technology-spillovers are explained through externalities or extra-marketlinkages. In practice they can take place via demonstration effects, labor mobility, supplier contacts, customer contacts or networking activities. However, the empirical study on the example of Hungarian industry shows that foreign owned and domestic firms – mainly due to their strong technological disparities – build virtually separate spheres within the industrial sector. Thus, technology-spillovers do hardly appear as an innovation-stimulating means for domestic companies.
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Innovative and international – with local personnel: Results of a survey of New Economy enterprises in Saxony and Thuringia
Cornelia Lang, Ralf Müller
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 12,
2001
Abstract
BT and IT firms in Saxony and Thuringia were surveyed about their recruiting activities, the scope of their product markets and their R&D activities. The major findings are: The majority of firms engage in product and process development, their product markets are not predominantly local markets, and that they recruit their labor force in the local labor market. The latter fact is explained by the existence of the modern infrastructure in higher learning and research in the new Länder (which formerly constituted the GDR). Consequently the firms are optimistic to be also able to attract highly qualified personnel in the future.The recently enacted law, which grants a number of work permits for highly qualified jobs (green card) is therefore of no great significance to these firms.
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Spillover effects and R&D co-operations - The influence of market structure
Anita Wölfl
IWH Discussion Papers,
No. 122,
2000
Abstract
This paper examines empirically the role of market structure for the influence of spill-over effects on R&D-cooperations. The results of a microeconometric analysis, based on firm data on innovation, let in general presume that with intensified competition also the influence of spillovers on R&D-cooperation increases. However, competition seems to induce firms to search for effective firm-specific appropriation facilities first. Spillovers that are sufficiently high such that the internalisation effect from R&D-cooperation more than outweighs the competitive effect from research, only arise whenever firms are not able to protect their research results through any appropriation facility. Additionally, there is some evidence that spillover effects may even hinder firms from cooperating in R&D when there is intensive competition on the research stage.
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Innovation in Small German Firms: Diminishing Returns, Randomness and Spatial Linkage
Ulrich Blum, Marc Gaudry
Jahrbuch für Regionalwissenschaft,
1989
Abstract
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