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New evidence on the firm-university linkages in Europe. The role of meritocratic management practices

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  • Francesco Aiello
  • Paola Cardamone
  • Valeria Pupo

Abstract

This paper investigates the determinants of university-industry links in five European countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK), using internationally comparable firm-level data for the period 2007–2009. Besides the usual firm-specific variables, it examines the role of meritocratic management practices in firms’ decisions to collaborate in R&D. Firm innovative efforts, the export status and the R&D government support are positively related to business-university links in almost all countries, human capital and firms’ size in two out of five countries under scrutiny, while belonging to science-based sectors does not seem to play a significant role in all countries but Italy. Importantly, we find that meritocratic managerial practices positively affect the firm-university nexus in Germany, France and the UK, while meritocracy does not appear to enhance businesses’ R&D collaboration in Italy and in Spain.

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  • Francesco Aiello & Paola Cardamone & Valeria Pupo, 2019. "New evidence on the firm-university linkages in Europe. The role of meritocratic management practices," International Review of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(6), pages 813-828, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:irapec:v:33:y:2019:i:6:p:813-828
    DOI: 10.1080/02692171.2019.1608917
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    Cited by:

    1. Francesco Aiello & Lidia Mannarino & Valeria Pupo, 2024. "Family firm heterogeneity and patenting. Revising the role of size and age," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 63(1), pages 105-133, June.
    2. Bojan Ćudić & Peter Alešnik & David Hazemali, 2022. "Factors impacting university–industry collaboration in European countries," Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 11(1), pages 1-24, December.
    3. Natália Lima Figueiredo & Cristina I. Fernandes & José Luis Abrantes, 2023. "Triple Helix Model: Cooperation in Knowledge Creation," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 14(2), pages 854-878, June.
    4. Enrique Acebo & José-Ángel Miguel-Dávila & Mariano Nieto, 2021. "The Impact of University–Industry Relationships on Firms’ Performance: A Meta-Regression Analysis," Science and Public Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 48(2), pages 276-293.
    5. Francesco Aiello & Paola Cardamone & Lidia Mannarino & Valeria Pupo, 2021. "Does external R&D matter for family firm innovation? Evidence from the Italian manufacturing industry," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 57(4), pages 1915-1930, December.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
    • D21 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Theory
    • C25 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Discrete Regression and Qualitative Choice Models; Discrete Regressors; Proportions; Probabilities

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