R&D Embodied Technological Change, Producers - Users Interaction, and Productivity at the Firm Level: A Germany-Italy Comparison

Arbeitspapier

This paper follows a knowledge production function approach to assess the contribution of R&D spending, the purchase of new machinery, and producers-users interaction to the productivity performance of German and Italian firms in manufacturing. For this purpose it employs micro-aggregated data from the First Community Innovation Survey. The regression analysis confirms the results of previous studies that technological change embodied in new machinery and capital equipment is a major factor affecting the productivity level of manufacturing firms in most industries (in particular in Italy), although the role of R&D activities is crucial for most firms in both countries, and that this is also the case in traditional consumer goods industries such as textiles, clothing, and leather & leather products. Conversely, only for Germany does producers-users interaction prove significantly to influence the productivity level of firms in certain industries.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: Quaderni - Working Paper DSE ; No. 323

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Santareli, Enrico ; Lotti, Francesca
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche (DSE)
• (where): Bologna
• (when): 1998

Further information

• DOI: doi:10.6092/unibo/amsacta/4985
• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/159165
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:44 AM CET