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How does Accessibility to Knowledge Sources Affect the Innovativeness of Corporations? Evidence from Sweden

Author

Listed:
  • Andersson, Martin

    (Jönköping International Business School)

  • Ejermo, Olof

    (CIRCLE, Lund University)

Abstract

This paper studies the innovative performance of 130 Swedish corporations during 1993-94. The number of patents per corporation is explained as a function of the accessibility to internal and external knowledge sources of each corporation. A coherent way of handling accessibility measures, within and between corporations located across regions, is introduced. We examine the relative importance of intraand interregional knowledge sources from i) the own corporation, ii) other corporations, and iii) universities. The results show that there is a positive relationship between the innovativeness of a corporation and its accessibility to university researchers within regions where own research groups are located. Good accessibility among the corporation’s research units does not have any significant effects on the likelihood of generation of patents. Instead the size of the R&D staff of the corporation seems to be the most important internal factor. There is no indication that intraregional accessibility to other corporations’ research is important for a corporation’s innovativeness. However, there is some indication of reduced likelihood for own corporate patenting when other corporate R&D is located in nearby regions. This may reflect a negative effect from competition for R&D labor.

Suggested Citation

  • Andersson, Martin & Ejermo, Olof, 2005. "How does Accessibility to Knowledge Sources Affect the Innovativeness of Corporations? Evidence from Sweden," Papers in Innovation Studies 2005/4, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.
  • Handle: RePEc:hhs:lucirc:2005_004
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Accessibility; private and university R&D; patents; spillovers; Sweden;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H41 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Public Goods
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes

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