IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/jincot/v23y2023i3d10.1007_s10842-023-00405-2.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Relationship Between R&D and Exports in Goods and Services of Firms in the Netherlands: An Empirical Analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Iryna Rud

    (Statistics Netherlands (CBS))

  • Mark Vancauteren

    (Statistics Netherlands (CBS)
    Hasselt University)

  • Hendrik W.H. Roekel

    (Statistics Netherlands (CBS))

  • Michael Polder

    (Statistics Netherlands (CBS))

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between R&D investments and exports of firms in the Netherlands. The results reveal complementarity between these two activities. The channel from exports to R&D appears to be stronger than the other way around. Comparing sectors, the results point out that complementarity is particularly salient among non-manufacturing firms. Differences in this relationship are also found by the type of export: service exports and R&D reinforce each other, whereas in the case of goods exports a positive effect was observed only from exports to R&D, but not in the opposite direction. Furthermore, exports of domestically produced goods (as opposed to re-exports), and exports to non-EU countries (as opposed to exports to EU countries), are found to be strongly positively related to R&D investments. Finally, looking across firm characteristics we conclude that (i) investing in R&D has higher returns in terms of export value for more productive firms; (ii) SME firms investing in R&D get more returns in terms of export than larger firms; (iii) export activities have a stronger effect on R&D investments for larger firms. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of considering spillover effects between R&D investments and export activities in designing policies related to R&D and international trade.

Suggested Citation

  • Iryna Rud & Mark Vancauteren & Hendrik W.H. Roekel & Michael Polder, 2023. "The Relationship Between R&D and Exports in Goods and Services of Firms in the Netherlands: An Empirical Analysis," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 283-308, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jincot:v:23:y:2023:i:3:d:10.1007_s10842-023-00405-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s10842-023-00405-2
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10842-023-00405-2
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10842-023-00405-2?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Philippe Aghion & Nick Bloom & Richard Blundell & Rachel Griffith & Peter Howitt, 2005. "Competition and Innovation: an Inverted-U Relationship," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 120(2), pages 701-728.
    2. Bernard, Andrew B. & Bradford Jensen, J., 1999. "Exceptional exporter performance: cause, effect, or both?," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 1-25, February.
    3. Thomas Chaney, 2008. "Distorted Gravity: The Intensive and Extensive Margins of International Trade," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 98(4), pages 1707-1721, September.
    4. Jonathan L Calof, 1994. "The Relationship Between Firm Size and Export Behavior Revisited," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 25(2), pages 367-387, June.
    5. Alessandra Bonfiglioli & Rosario Crinò & Gino Gancia, 2019. "Trade, Finance, and Endogenous Firm Heterogeneity," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 17(1), pages 79-130.
    6. Albert Park & Dean Yang & Xinzheng Shi & Yuan Jiang, 2010. "Exporting and Firm Performance: Chinese Exporters and the Asian Financial Crisis," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 92(4), pages 822-842, November.
    7. Adrian Gourlay & Jonathan Seaton & Joy Suppakitjarak, 2005. "The determinants of export behaviour in UK service firms," The Service Industries Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(7), pages 879-889, October.
    8. Paula Bustos, 2011. "Trade Liberalization, Exports, and Technology Upgrading: Evidence on the Impact of MERCOSUR on Argentinian Firms," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 101(1), pages 304-340, February.
    9. Basile, Roberto, 2001. "Export behaviour of Italian manufacturing firms over the nineties: the role of innovation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(8), pages 1185-1201, October.
    10. Pierre Mohnen & Arthur Vankan & Bart Verspagen, 2017. "Evaluating the innovation box tax policy instrument in the Netherlands, 2007–13," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 33(1), pages 141-156.
    11. Andrew B. Bernard, 2004. "Exporting and Productivity in the USA," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 20(3), pages 343-357, Autumn.
    12. Marc J. Melitz, 2003. "The Impact of Trade on Intra-Industry Reallocations and Aggregate Industry Productivity," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 71(6), pages 1695-1725, November.
    13. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/6apm7lruv088iagm4rv2c33jtg is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Hobday, Mike, 1995. "East Asian latecomer firms: Learning the technology of electronics," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 23(7), pages 1171-1193, July.
    15. Elena Golovko & Giovanni Valentini, 2011. "Exploring the complementarity between innovation and export for SMEs’ growth," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 42(3), pages 362-380, April.
    16. Stephen Roper & James H. Love & Dolores Añon Hígon, 2006. "The Determinants Of Export Performance: Evidence For Manufacturing Plants In Ireland And Northern Ireland," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 53(5), pages 586-615, November.
    17. Thomas Chaney, 2008. "Distorted Gravity: The Intensive and Extensive Margins of International Trade," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 98(4), pages 1707-1721, September.
    18. Roper, Stephen & Love, James H., 2002. "Innovation and export performance: evidence from the UK and German manufacturing plants," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(7), pages 1087-1102, September.
    19. Grossman, Gene M. & Helpman, Elhanan, 1991. "Trade, knowledge spillovers, and growth," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 35(2-3), pages 517-526, April.
    20. Roberto Alvarez & Raymond Robertson, 2004. "Exposure to foreign markets and plant-level innovation: evidence from Chile and Mexico," The Journal of International Trade & Economic Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(1), pages 57-87.
    21. Jože P. Damijan & Črt Kostevc & Sašo Polanec, 2010. "From Innovation to Exporting or Vice Versa?," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(3), pages 374-398, March.
    22. Philippe Aghion, Antonin Bergeaud, Matthieu Lequien, Marc J. Melitz, 2018. "The Impact of Exports on Innovation: Theory and Evidence," Working papers 678, Banque de France.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Richard Harris & John Moffat, 2011. "R&D, Innovation and Exporting," SERC Discussion Papers 0073, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    2. Massimiliano Bratti & Giulia Felice, 2012. "Are Exporters More Likely to Introduce Product Innovations?," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(11), pages 1559-1598, November.
    3. David Aristei & Davide Castellani & Chiara Franco, 2013. "Firms’ exporting and importing activities: is there a two-way relationship?," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 149(1), pages 55-84, March.
    4. Stefano Iandolo & Anna Maria Ferragina, 2019. "Does persistence in internationalization and innovation influence firms’ performance?," Journal of Economic Studies, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 46(7), pages 1345-1364, November.
    5. Rodil, Óscar & Vence, Xavier & Sánchez, María del Carmen, 2016. "The relationship between innovation and export behaviour: The case of Galician firms," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 113(PB), pages 248-265.
    6. Alfonso Exposito & Juan A. Sanchis-Llopis, 2020. "The effects of innovation on the decisions of exporting and/or importing in SMEs: empirical evidence in the case of Spain," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 55(3), pages 813-829, October.
    7. Falk, Martin & de Lemos, Francisco Figueira, 2019. "Complementarity of R&D and productivity in SME export behavior," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 157-168.
    8. Stefano Iandolo & Anna Ferragina, 2021. "International activities and innovation: Evidence from Italy with a special regressor approach," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(11), pages 3300-3325, November.
    9. Love, James H. & Mansury, Mica Ariana, 2009. "Exporting and productivity in business services: Evidence from the United States," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 18(6), pages 630-642, December.
    10. Maria Luisa Mancusi & Andrea Vezzulli & Serena Frazzoni & Zeno Rotondi & Maurizio Sobrero, 2018. "Export and Innovation in Small and Medium Enterprises: The Role of Concentrated Bank Borrowing," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 85(337), pages 177-204, January.
    11. Crinò, Rosario & Bonfiglioli, Alessandra & Gancia, Gino, 2021. "International Trade with Heterogeneous Firms: Theory and Evidence," CEPR Discussion Papers 16249, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    12. Idris, Bochra & Saridakis, George & Khan, Zaheer, 2022. "The Effect of Outward and Inward Internationalisation on Different Types of Innovation: Evidence from UK SMEs," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 28(2).
    13. Juan Blyde & Gonzalo Iberti & Micaela Mussini, 2018. "When does innovation matter for exporting?," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 54(4), pages 1653-1671, June.
    14. Federico J. Diez & Jesse Mora & Alan C. Spearot, 2016. "Firms in international trade," Working Papers 16-25, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
    15. Patrick Plane & Marie-Ange Véganzonès-Varoudakis, 2019. "Innovation, productivity, exports and the investment climate: A study based on Indian manufacturing firm-level data," Working Papers halshs-01990327, HAL.
    16. Claudio Fassio, 2018. "Export-led innovation: the role of export destinations," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 27(1), pages 149-171.
    17. Stephan Brunow & Luise Grünwald, 2014. "Exports, agglomeration and workforce diversity: An empirical assessment of German establishments," Norface Discussion Paper Series 2014008, Norface Research Programme on Migration, Department of Economics, University College London.
    18. Wu, Lichao & Wei, Yingqi & Wang, Chengang & McDonald, Frank & Han, Xia, 2022. "The importance of institutional and financial resources for export performance associated with technological innovation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    19. Irene Brambilla & Daniel Lederman & Guido Porto, 2012. "Exports, Export Destinations, and Skills," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 102(7), pages 3406-3438, December.
    20. Wu, Lichao & Wei, Yingqi & Wang, Chengang, 2021. "Disentangling the effects of business groups in the innovation-export relationship," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(1).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:jincot:v:23:y:2023:i:3:d:10.1007_s10842-023-00405-2. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.