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Assessing innovation spillovers from publicly funded R&D and innovation support: Evidence from the UK (2023)
Journal Article
Becker, B., Roper, S., & Vanino, E. (2023). Assessing innovation spillovers from publicly funded R&D and innovation support: Evidence from the UK. Technovation, 128, Article 102860. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2023.102860

Knowledge – embodied, explicit, and tacit - drives innovation. Research and development and other knowledge creation activities play a key role, as does the type of external knowledge sourcing central to models of open innovation. As knowledge is a s... Read More about Assessing innovation spillovers from publicly funded R&D and innovation support: Evidence from the UK.

Green innovation strategies, innovation success and firm performance – Evidence from a panel of Spanish firms (2023)
Journal Article
Becker, B. (2023). Green innovation strategies, innovation success and firm performance – Evidence from a panel of Spanish firms. Sustainability, 15(2), Article 1656. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021656

This paper examines the effects of adopting types of green innovation strategies on a firm’s innovation success and performance. The empirical analysis applies propensity score and kernel matching to a Spanish firm panel during 2008–2016. The results... Read More about Green innovation strategies, innovation success and firm performance – Evidence from a panel of Spanish firms.

Firms’ innovation objectives and knowledge acquisition strategies (2022)
Journal Article
Roper, S., Becker, B., Love, J. H., & Bonner, K. (2022). Firms’ innovation objectives and knowledge acquisition strategies. International Journal of Innovation Management, 26(4), Article 2250025. https://doi.org/10.1142/s1363919622500256

External partnerships play an important role in firms’ acquisition of the knowledge inputs to innovation. Such knowledge acquisition may be interactive - involving exploration and mutual learning - or non-interactive - involving exploitative activity... Read More about Firms’ innovation objectives and knowledge acquisition strategies.

FDI in hot labour markets: the implications of the war for talent. (2020)
Journal Article
Becker, B., Driffield, N., Lancheros, S., & Love, J. (2020). FDI in hot labour markets: the implications of the war for talent. Journal of International Business Policy, 3, 107-133. https://doi.org/10.1057/s42214-020-00052-y

This paper highlights an inherent contradiction that exists within investment promotion activities in rich countries. Since the financial crisis, many inward investment agencies have shifted their activities from job creation per se to seeking to att... Read More about FDI in hot labour markets: the implications of the war for talent..

Knowledge to money: Assessing the business performance effects of publicly-funded R&D grants. (2019)
Journal Article
Vanino, E., Roper, S., & Becker, B. (2019). Knowledge to money: Assessing the business performance effects of publicly-funded R&D grants. Research Policy, 48(7), 1714-1737. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2019.04.001

UK Research Councils (UKRCs) spend around £3bn pa supporting R&D and innovation. We provide a comprehensive assessment of these grants on the performance of participating UK firms, using data on all projects funded by UKRCs over the 2004–2016 period... Read More about Knowledge to money: Assessing the business performance effects of publicly-funded R&D grants..

Public R&D policies and private R&D investment: A survey of the empirical evidence. (2014)
Journal Article
Becker, B. (2015). Public R&D policies and private R&D investment: A survey of the empirical evidence. Journal of Economic Surveys, 29(5), 917-942. https://doi.org/10.1111/joes.12074

The importance of R&D investment in explaining economic growth is well documented in the literature. Policies by modern governments increasingly recognise the benefits of supporting R&D investment. Government funding has, however, become an increasin... Read More about Public R&D policies and private R&D investment: A survey of the empirical evidence..

Regional growth and SMEs in Brazil: A spatial panel approach. (2014)
Journal Article
Cravo, T., Becker, B., & Gourlay, A. (2015). Regional growth and SMEs in Brazil: A spatial panel approach. Regional Studies, 49(12),

This paper examines economic growth for a panel of 508 Brazilian micro-regions for the period 1980–2004, using spatial econometrics and paying particular attention to the importance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The findings indicate... Read More about Regional growth and SMEs in Brazil: A spatial panel approach..

Small and medium-size enterprises and regional economic growth in Brazil. (2012)
Journal Article
Cravo, T., Gourlay, A., & Becker, B. (2012). Small and medium-size enterprises and regional economic growth in Brazil. Small Business Economics, 38(2), 217-230

This paper examines the relationship between the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector and economic growth for an annual panel of Brazilian states for the period 1985-2004.We investigate the importance of the relative size of the SME sector... Read More about Small and medium-size enterprises and regional economic growth in Brazil..

Do R&D strategies in high-tech sectors differ from those in low-tech sectors? – An alternative approach to testing the pooling assumption. (2012)
Journal Article
Becker, B., & Hall, S. (2013). Do R&D strategies in high-tech sectors differ from those in low-tech sectors? – An alternative approach to testing the pooling assumption. Economic Change and Restructuring, 46, 183-202. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10644-012-9122-7

Most studies investigating the determinants of R&D investment consider pooled estimates. However, if the parameters are heterogeneous, pooled coefficients may not provide reliable estimates of individual industry effects. Hence pooled parameters may... Read More about Do R&D strategies in high-tech sectors differ from those in low-tech sectors? – An alternative approach to testing the pooling assumption..

Health insurance competition in Germany – The role of advertising. (2010)
Journal Article
Becker, B., & Uebelmesser, S. (2010). Health insurance competition in Germany – The role of advertising. Journal of Contextual Economics (JCE), 130(2), 169-194. https://doi.org/10.3790/schm.130.2.169

In the 1990s, competition among public health insurance funds (’sickness funds") was introduced in Germany. As one means of competition, free choice of initial health funds and subsequent switching between them was made available to all insured. Sinc... Read More about Health insurance competition in Germany – The role of advertising..

How far from the Euro Area? Measuring convergence of inflation rates in Eastern Europe (2009)
Journal Article
Becker, B., & Hall, S. (2009). How far from the Euro Area? Measuring convergence of inflation rates in Eastern Europe. Economic Modelling, 26(4), 788-798. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econmod.2009.01.016

We present a common factor framework of convergence which we implement using principal components analysis. We apply this technique to a dataset of monthly inflation rates of EMU and the Eastern European New Member Countries (NMC) over 1996–2007. In... Read More about How far from the Euro Area? Measuring convergence of inflation rates in Eastern Europe.

A new look at economic convergence in Europe: A common factor approach. (2008)
Journal Article
Becker, B., & Hall, S. (2009). A new look at economic convergence in Europe: A common factor approach. International Journal of Finance and Economics, 14(1), 85-97. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijfe.364

We propose a common factor approach to analyse convergence, which we implement using principal components analysis. We show that this method provides a useful new way of approaching the convergence debate. We apply this technique to a data set of mon... Read More about A new look at economic convergence in Europe: A common factor approach..

Foreign direct investment in R&D and exchange rate uncertainty. (2008)
Journal Article
Becker, B., & Hall, S. (2009). Foreign direct investment in R&D and exchange rate uncertainty. Open Economies Review, 20, 207-223. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11079-007-9075-z

The current practice in the literature on the impact of exchange rate uncertainty on foreign direct investment is to consider exchange rate volatility. In this paper, we demonstrate the importance of considering also covariances and apply the theoret... Read More about Foreign direct investment in R&D and exchange rate uncertainty..

What determines industrial R&D expenditure in the UK? (2007)
Journal Article
Becker, B., & Pain, N. (2008). What determines industrial R&D expenditure in the UK?. Manchester School, 76(1), 66-87. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9957.2007.01050.x

In this paper we identify some of the factors behind the comparatively poor R&D performance of the UK in the 1990s, when R&D intensity in the business sector declined consistently. We estimate an econometric model of R&D using a panel of UK manufactu... Read More about What determines industrial R&D expenditure in the UK?.

Macroeconomic policy in Europe: Experiments with monetary responses and fiscal impulses. (2004)
Journal Article
Barrell, R., Becker, B., Byrne, J., Gottschalk, S., Hurst, I., & van Welsum, D. (2004). Macroeconomic policy in Europe: Experiments with monetary responses and fiscal impulses. Ecological Modelling, 21(5), 877-931. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econmod.2003.10.005

In this paper we discuss the main model properties of NiGEM, the National Institute's large-scale macroeconometric model. NiGEM is a ‘New-Keynesian’ model where agents display forward-looking behaviour but there are nominal rigidities slowing adjustm... Read More about Macroeconomic policy in Europe: Experiments with monetary responses and fiscal impulses..