This thesis begins by outlining the theoretical and empirical foundations of the economics of innovations. It then proceeds by analysing four econometric issues in the measurement of technological knowledge embedded in patented innovations and modelling the statistical relationship of the value of patented innovations originating in the G-5 countries overtime. This thesis contributes to the economics of innovation literature in four areas: (1) a comprehensive review of the proxies available to elicit the value embodied in patented inventions (2) a direct comparison of regression estimates based on citations count dependent variable versus citations-weighted dependent variable (3) an introduction and application of Regression Tree and Graphical Modelling methodologies to model patented inventions (4) estimation of the fluctuations and associations in the values of patented innovation in the G-5 countries using patent citations.

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In this research, our main goal rests in the analysis of the main determinants and the features of output performance of firms. First, we will investigate the direct and the indirect effects (spillovers) of Research and Development (R&D) investments on firms’ total factor productivity growth. To that end, we begin by estimating the returns to R&D by using international micro level data, as first proposed in Griliches (1979). We quantify the effects on firms’ productivity of exogenous variations in the state of technology and of the R&D of other firms (R&D spillovers, Jaffe, 1986). Second, we will try to take into account the firms’ ability to identify, assimilate and exploit existing information, that is their absorptive capacity (Cohen, Levinthal 1989). We assume that the elasticity of output (or value added) to national or foreign stock of spillovers depend on the chosen measure of Absorptive Capacity, which generally is represented by own R&D capital. The positive effect of the interaction between own R&D capital and the spillover pool term indicates the firm ability to absorb new ideas from outside, while its negative effect gives evidence of necessity to invest more in own R&D. Third, we will explore the question whether geographic and technological proximities affect the knowledge flows, proxied by patent citations for large international firms and how these effects change over time. We expect that the geographical proximity impact on knowledge flows is decreasing over time, since information travels at lower communication costs over time (Coyle, 1997 and Friedman, 2005). Yet, according to Evans and Harringan (2005), distance is still relevant in some technological sectors, where face-to-face interaction is fundamental and knowledge is tacit and hard to codify. Then, it is also interesting to analyse the impact of technological proximity on knowledge flows over time. / Doctorat en Sciences économiques et de gestion / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

This paper examines the relationship between research and development (R&D) expenditures under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and firms’ innovation, proxied by future patent counts and patent citations. Accounting for R&D is a major difference between IFRS and generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (US GAAP). The difference is that certain development costs can be treated as assets under IFRS, but all R&D expenditures are expensed under US GAAP. This difference in the accounting treatment is grounded in the conceptual question of whether R&D expenditures provide future benefits, consistent with the definition of an asset, or whether the benefits are so uncertain that they are treated as the consumption of resources, consistent with the definition of an expense. If R&D expenditures provide future benefits, they are expected to be associated with future patents and citations. Capitalized development costs should exhibit a stronger association as they meet the criteria to be assets, expecting to provide future benefits. Expensed R&D can also be associated with patents and patent citations as these expenditures may also lead to patents and patent citations. As expensed R&D relates to expenditures in the research stage or those development costs that do not meet the criteria to be capitalized, the association should be weaker. Therefore, this paper examines the association between R&D expenditures that are expensed and those that are capitalized under IFRS with patents and patent citations as future benefits.Using a hand-collected sample of high-tech firms in European Union from 2012 to 2018, this paper finds economically and statistically significant different associations between capitalized development costs and expensed R&D and a firms’ innovation, as proxied by future patents and patent citations. Using median effects, the association between one million euros investment in firms’ capitalized development costs and patent counts (citations) is 200% or more than the association between one million euro’s expensed R&D and patent counts (citations). This paper is one of the first to examine the relationship between R&D capitalization under IFRS and firms’ innovation, as measured by future patent counts and patent citations. This paper contributes to the literature on R&D capitalization by identifying the fundamental difference in the association between capitalized development costs and expensed R&D and innovation. Further, this paper contributes to our understanding of the accounting for R&D, and the different treatment between US GAAP and IFRS by finding that capitalized development costs display a different association from expensed R&D. / Business Administration/Accounting