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The Impact of Funding on Research Collaboration: Evidence from Argentina

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  • Diego Ubfal
  • Alessandro Maffioli

Abstract

In this paper, we evaluate the impact of research grants on the amount of collaboration, among scientific researchers in Argentina. We find a positive and significant impact of funding on collaboration, which is measured in terms of the number of co-authors for publications in peer-reviewed journals. In particular, we find a significant impact of the grants for funded researchers both on the size of their ego network, and on their 2-step indirect links, measured by the number of direct and 1-step indirect co-authors. We also find evidence that this impact was driven by the results of funded researchers at the upper tail of the distribution of collaboration outcomes. Our identification strategy is based on comparing collaboration indicators for researchers with financially supported projects with those of a control group of researchers who submitted projects that were accepted in terms of quality, but not supported because of shortage of funds. We obtain consistent results by using different non-experimental techniques such as difference-in-differences models combined with propensity score matching methods and a non-parametric difference-in-differences estimator.

Suggested Citation

  • Diego Ubfal & Alessandro Maffioli, 2010. "The Impact of Funding on Research Collaboration: Evidence from Argentina," SPD Working Papers 1006, Inter-American Development Bank, Office of Strategic Planning and Development Effectiveness (SPD).
    • Handle: RePEc:idb:spdwps:1006
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Scientific Collaboration; Social Networks; Program Evaluation; Nonparametric Difference-in-Differences Estimator; Latin America; Argentina;
    All these keywords.

    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
    • D85 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Network Formation

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