Isabel Mota

Micro Credit and Territory: Portugal as a case study

This paper studies the relations between micro credit and territory, assuming that micro credit is an important instrument for fighting against poverty and social exclusion. Based on a micro-level database provided by ANDC (Associacao Nacional de Direito ao Credito), a statistical and econometric study has been undertaken in order to identify the territorial idiosyncrasies associated with the employment of micro credit in Portugal. Focusing on the survival of micro credit projects during the period 2006-2009, our study demonstrates the significance for a firm’s survival of variables such as population density, value added growth in each activity and promoters’ qualifications, as well as two regional dummies.

Computational Results of Membership in R&D Cooperation Networks: To Be or Not To Be in a Research Joint Venture

In this study, we analyze firms’ membership in RD in the second they simultaneously choose the level of R&D output, and finally firms choose the level of output through Cournot competition under both cost symmetry and cost asymmetry. Then we proceed with computational simulations in order to verify our hypothesis. From our results, we were able to conclude that cooperation leads to an improvement on RJV firms’ position in the market as it allows them to produce more than others with the same production conditions. Additionally, cooperating firms have to spend fewer resources on research, which turns the network a tremendous success on the productive efficiency level.

The Influence of Creativity on Entrepreneurship: The Portuguese Case

Literature shows that a high level of new firm creation significantly contributes to regional economic performance and is a clear sign of a thriving economy; hence, the understanding of the factors promoting new firm formation is crucial for economic development. Typically, literature has shown the influence of several variables such as the unemployment rate or the population density on firms’ birth rate. A more recent approach has been suggesting that creativity is one of the factors promoting new firm formation and, thus, economic growth. Richard Florida’s The Rise of the Creative Class (2002) was a seminal contribution for the recognition of the importance of creative people, creative industries, creative economies, and, thus, creativity. Many authors, inspired by this contribution, have been undertaking theoretical and empirical studies to analyze the role of creativity in economics. The aim of this chapter is to follow such contributions, discussing the impact of creativity on entrepreneurship in Portugal. A multivariate linear regression analysis is applied, explaining new firm formation across Portuguese regions with explanatory variables that include both creativity and diversity indexes, innovation indicators and the human capital dimension, as well as other control variables. Our results show little evidence of the influence of creativity on the birth of new firms, while pointing to the relevance of agglomeration effects for new firms’ formation and to the difficulty of immigrants in establishing a firm.