Abstract ``Absorptive capacity" – a firm's ability to assimilate information acquired from other firms – can depend on the amount of basic research it conducts. The optimal expenditures on basic research depend on its costs, and these expenditures in turn affect the amount of applied research...

In this paper we examine the role of policy when forming a R&D joint venture is costly. Contrary to previous studies, we document an active role for public policy, since the interests of firms are not necessarily aligned with societal interests. The nature of policy, however, depends on the...