This paper examines the determinants of total factor productivity (TFP) using a GB plant-level dataset. Using a systems-GMM approach, it considers the role of the following four plant characteristics: internal and external knowledge; foreign ownership, multi-plant economies of scale and...

Data for the UK show Northern Ireland remains at the bottom of the productivity league table, and that its R&D performance is consistently amongst the lowest across the UK regions. This paper analyses the data from a survey of some 250 matched firms operating in Northern Ireland (approximately...

This study considers the determinants of whether a firm exports, undertakes R&D and/or innovates, and, in particular, the contemporaneous links between these variables using three waves of the UK Community Innovation Survey (CIS). Where appropriate, an instrumental variables procedure is...

The use of intangible assets (IA) is widely recognised as a key driver of enterprise performance. A concept that is closely linked to IA is absorptive capacity, which is defined as the ability to exploit knowledge that is embodied in IA. The main objective of this paper is to explore what is...

Redlining occurs when institutions decline to make mortgage loans in specific areas. The practice originated in the 1930s, when federal agencies encouraged lenders to rate neighbourhoods for mortgage risk. Since the 1960s, especially in the US, it has been associated with disinvestment, racial...