R and D, Foreign Technology and Technical Efficiency in Developing Countries
Abstract
This study investigates the relationship between firms’ innovation activities and efficiency in manufacturing firms in developing countries. We examine whether innovation activities including internal research and development (R and D) and adoption of foreign technology have differential effects on technical efficiency. We hypothesize that the relation between internal R and D and technical efficiency is positive; the relation between adoption of foreign technology and technical efficiency is negative and lastly, internal R and D in combination with the adoption of foreign technology have a positive effect on technical efficiency. We use cross-sectional firm level survey data from the 2013 World Bank Enterprise Survey and the linked 2014 Innovation Follow-up Survey for examining the effect of innovation activities on firms’ technical efficiency. We test our hypothesis using cross-sectional stochastic frontier analysis. We find that internal R and D has a negative and significant effect on technical efficiency. Adoption of foreign technology on the other hand does not have a significant effect on technical efficiency. Nevertheless, the combination of internal R and D and adoption of foreign technology has a negative and significant effect on technical efficiency. We conclude that internal R and D may have dynamic effects on technical efficiency.
Citation
Basara, L.; Kimuyu, P.; Kinyanjui, B.; Vermeulen, P.; Knoben, J. R and D, Foreign Technology and Technical Efficiency in Developing Countries. (2015) 24 pp.
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