We measure technical efficiency in R&D of Italian regions with the aim of understanding whether the variation in transport infrastructure endowment across regions might be the cause of efficiency disparities. We use a semi-parametric method where in the first step we estimate bootstrapped...

Firms display persistent differences as regards both internal and external characteristics, and these differences correspond to asymmetries in the performance of firms with regard to productivity level and growth as well as innovativeness. This paper focuses on one internal characteristic and...

The increasing openness of economies and the phenomenon of globalization has led to know-how and innovation becoming the key factors for business in terms of competitiveness. Thus, the fact that the activities and services are increasingly innovative means that the construction of innovation is...

This paper provides some empirical evidence of the impact of two policy measures, aiming at supporting innovative activity of small and medium firms in Piedmont. Both measures use European Structural Funds, but are managed at a regional level. Measure 2.1b, a concessional loan aiming at...

Information technology has become a very important issue in citizens' relations. It started with e-commerce followed by e-business and ended by e-government. Firms and consumers use internet to provide information and perform many of their business actions. During the last years Governments also...

In this paper we focus on one type of externality, namely knowledge spillovers. Empirical studies on effects of knowledge spillovers in Europe have normally focused on localized effects, either on total factor productivity or knowledge production in terms of patent output. The purpose of this...

This paper focuses on the efficiency of innovation intermediary organizations and also reviews the connections of intermediaries with regional and local actors emphasizing the human side of innovation. In the beginning I define the organizations and the innovation process as a special market,...

In recent years, firms have considerably decentralized their research and development (R&D) activities. Subsidiaries of foreign multinational enterprises (MNEs) are now among the top performers of R&D in many EU and non-EU countries. Specifically, MNE affiliates account for around 20% of total...

In this paper we empirically analyze the effects of collaboration in innovation with universities on the firm's innovative performance. Using data from the Technological Innovation Panel dataset (PITEC for its acronym in Spanish) we have constructed a database of 4643 innovative firms in Spain,...

The role of intermediaries in innovation processes has been analyzed in the literature from a dual point of view of the firm's performances. Being considered actors involved in the knowledge diffusion and technology transfer, intermediaries are considered collaborators of small and large...