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High-growth versus declining firms: the differential impact of human capital and R&D

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  • Micheline Goedhuys
  • Leo Sleuwaegen

Abstract

We provide evidence that both human capital and R&D increase the likelihood that a firm will be a high-growth firm in the industry. However, different from human capital, being an R&D active firm also increases the probability of substantial decline or failure, underscoring the risky nature of innovation. Quantile regression results show that, different from R&D, human capital is growth-enhancing for all firms, hence also those located in the lower quantiles of the distribution of growth rates across firms.

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  • Micheline Goedhuys & Leo Sleuwaegen, 2016. "High-growth versus declining firms: the differential impact of human capital and R&D," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(5), pages 369-372, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:apeclt:v:23:y:2016:i:5:p:369-372
    DOI: 10.1080/13504851.2015.1076139
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Matthias Deschryvere, 2014. "R&D, firm growth and the role of innovation persistence: an analysis of Finnish SMEs and large firms," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 43(4), pages 767-785, December.
    2. Agustí Segarra & Mercedes Teruel, 2014. "High-growth firms and innovation: an empirical analysis for Spanish firms," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 43(4), pages 805-821, December.
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    5. Coad, Alex & Rao, Rekha, 2008. "Innovation and firm growth in high-tech sectors: A quantile regression approach," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(4), pages 633-648, May.
    6. Segarra Blasco, Agustí, 1958- & Teruel, Mercedes, 2014. "High-growth firms and innovation: an empirical analysis for Spanish firms," Working Papers 2072/228402, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Department of Economics.
    7. Micheline Goedhuys & Leo Sleuwaegen, 2010. "High-growth entrepreneurial firms in Africa: a quantile regression approach," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 34(1), pages 31-51, January.
    8. Alessandro Arrighetti & Andrea Lasagni, 2013. "Assessing the Determinants of High-Growth Manufacturing Firms in Italy," International Journal of the Economics of Business, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(2), pages 245-267, July.
    9. Alex Coad & Sven-Olov Daunfeldt & Dan Johansson & Karl Wennberg, 2014. "Whom do high-growth firms hire?," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 23(1), pages 293-327, February.
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    Cited by:

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    3. Alex Coad & Stjepan Srhoj, 2020. "Catching Gazelles with a Lasso: Big data techniques for the prediction of high-growth firms," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 55(3), pages 541-565, October.
    4. Isabel Martínez Martín & Miguel Sánchez Galindo & César Pérez López & Rosa Santero Sánchez, 2019. "Evaluación del impacto del programa Redes de Innovación al Servicio de la Competitividad (RISC)," Hacienda Pública Española / Review of Public Economics, IEF, vol. 229(2), pages 59-86, June.
    5. Garcia Martinez, Marian & Zouaghi, Ferdaous & Garcia Marco, Teresa & Robinson, Catherine, 2019. "What drives business failure? Exploring the role of internal and external knowledge capabilities during the global financial crisis," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 441-449.
    6. Osman S Kiratli, 2023. "Loving globalization: High-growth enterprises and public opinion on globalization in Europe," European Union Politics, , vol. 24(2), pages 286-306, June.
    7. Caterina Santi & Pietro Santoleri, 2017. "Exploring the link between innovation and growth in Chilean firms," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 49(2), pages 445-467, August.
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    9. Silviano Esteve-Pérez & Fabio Pieri & Diego Rodriguez, 2021. "Coping with high decline: firms’ resilience to adversity," DEM Working Papers 2021/08, Department of Economics and Management.
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