This paper extends the standard Hotelling model with quadratic transport costs to the multi-firm case. Considering locational equilibria we show that neither holds the Principle of Maximum Differentiation - as in the duopoly model - nor does the Principle of Minimum Differentiation - as in the...

This paper examines the determinants of young innovative companies’ (YICs) R&D activitiestaking into account the autoregressive nature of innovation. Using a large longitudinal datasetcomprising Spanish manufacturing firms over the period 1990-2008, we find that previousR&D experience is a...

In this paper, we open up the black box that has been the introduction of open practices into firms’ commercial R&D strategies. Most of the existing research on the phenomenon of open innovation focuses on its interorganizational aspects. In contrast, the effect that the opening of boundaries...

This paper examines international technology transfers using firm-level data across 43developing countries. Our findings show that exporting and importing activities are importantchannels for the transfer of technology...

Government policy emphasises five ‘drivers’ of productivity: competition, enterprise, innovation, investment and skillsand each of these has been the subject of major programmes of reform (HM Treasury, 2006). Despite this, andnotwithstanding some improvement, UK productivity in terms of output...

This paper is an empirical test of the hypothesis that the appropriateness of differentbusiness strategies is conditional on the firm’s distance to the industry frontier. We usedata on four 2-digit high-tech manufacturing industries in the US over the period 1972-1999, and apply...

We show that if patent protection and trade secrecy generate asymmetricmarket structure, an innovator may prefer patent protection than trade secrecy even ifthe diffusion probability is higher under the former but it increases marketconcentration by preventing some imitators...

This paper analyzes the problem of deriving predictions, regarding supply behavior of acompetitive firm, from prior consistency postulates about input-output choices made by such afirm. It extends the literature by introducing a consistency postulate for firm choice, which isweaker than...

In this paper we empirically examine the impact of competition between Microfinance Institutions(MFIs) on the efficacy of loan contracts when the MFIs make use of joint liability loan contracts. Morespecifically, we aim to find out whether competition will reduce the power of the self-selection...

Since the 1950s our modern society has been in a stage of transformation. The grounds of economic action have been changed due to radical technological transformation in microelectronics, biotechnology, and the development of new manufacturing as well as socio-cultural changes. (...)