Matija Rojec

The role of FDI, R&D accumulation and trade in transferring technology to transition countries: evidence from firm panel data for eight transition countries

Abstract This paper examines different channels of global technology transfer to transition countries. We study the impact of direct technology transfer through FDI, intra-industry knowledge spillovers from FDI, firm’s own R&D accumulation and R&D spillovers through trade for total factor productivity (TFP) growth of local firms. Using firm-level data for eight transition countries for the period 1994–1998, we found that technology is being primarily transferred to local firms through direct foreign linkages. Our results also suggest that FDI do not generate positive intra-industry spillovers for domestic firms.

Technology Transfer Through FDI in Top-10 Transition Countries: How Important are Direct Effects, Horizontal and Vertical Spillovers?

The paper exploits a large set of more than 8,000 firms for ten advanced transition countries in order to uncover the importance of different channels of technology transfer through FDI and its impact on productivity growth of local firms. In addition to direct effects, we also distinguish between intra-industry (horizontal) and inter-industry (vertical) spillovers from foreign owned firms to local firms. After correcting for foreign investment selection bias and controlling for endogeneity of input demand (using a dynamic system GMM approach), direct FDI effects were found to provide by far the most important productivity effect for local firms in transition countries. Direct effects of FDI are found to provide on average an impact on firm???s productivity that is larger by factor 50 than the impact of backward linkages and by factor 500 larger than the impact of horizontal spillovers.

Impact of firm heterogeneity on direct and spillover effects of FDI: Micro-evidence from ten transition countries

This paper presents a comparative study of the importance of direct technology transfer and spillovers through FDI on a set of ten transition countries, using a common methodology and appropriate methods to account for selection and simultaneity correction. This paper considers by far the largest firm level dataset (more than 90,000 firms) used by any study on the spillover effects of FDI. The main novelty of the paper is the explicit control for various sources of firm heterogeneity when accounting for different effects of FDI on firm performance. Controlling for these variables leads to some interesting results which contrast with the previous empirical work in the field. We find that horizontal spillovers have become increasingly important over the last decade, and they may even become more important than vertical spillovers. Furthermore, this work shows that the heterogeneity of firms in terms of absorptive capacity, size, productivity and technology levels affect the results. These findings suggest that both direct effects from foreign ownership as well as the spillovers from foreign firms substantially depend on the absorptive capacity and productivity level of individual firms. Only more productive firms and firms with higher absorptive capacities are able to both compete with foreign affiliates in the same sector and benefit from the increased upstream demand for intermediates generated by foreign affiliates. In addition, these results show that foreign presence may also affect smaller firms to a larger extent than larger firms, but this impact may be in either direction.

Slovenia : From Yugoslavia to the European Union

The main objective of the book is to analyze Slovenias threefold transition in the context of a broader transition process in Central and Eastern Europe and to contribute toward filling the obvious gap in the literature on this subject. The book provides an overview of the most important developments faced by Slovenia during its transition-the achievements, the problems, and the challenges-and discusses the lessons that have been learned and the main challenges that Slovenia can expect to face. Interdisciplinary in character, the book focuses on socioeconomic and political aspects and integrates them into the existing pool of knowledge about the transition process.

Host-country Absorption of Technology: Evidence from Automotive Supply Networks in Eastern Europe

This paper provides an analysis of technology transfer in automotive supply networks in six EU candidate countries with important vehicle (component) industries. We survey more than 400 firms, representing roughly half of the automotive supply industry. In addition, we have in-depth information from 39 case studies. We address the generation, the origin, and the quality of technology transfer. In terms of generation, we look at the determinants of who receives technology along the value chain, and who passes it on. In terms of origin, we compare local and foreign-owned firms and those with mixed ownership. We also compare differences across the countries. In terms of quality, we discuss the change-inducing effects of technology as perceived by recipient firms. Our results confirm the salience of networks and the key role of MNCs for the generation and diffusion of technology. We also find that diffusion of technology happens within the countries so that host countries absorb more technology than is immediately apparent and commonly believed.

Innovation and Firms’ Productivity Growth in Slovenia: Sensitivity of Results to Sectoral Heterogeneity and to Estimation Method

The paper examines implications of endogenous growth theory on the relationship between innovation and firm productivity (productivity growth) by combining information on firm-level innovation (CIS) with accounting data for a large sample of Slovenian firms in the period 1996–2002. We employ several different estimation methods in order to control for the endogeneity of innovation and idiosyncratic firm characteristics. We find a significant and robust link between productivity levels and firm propensity to innovate, while the results on the link between innovation activity and productivity growth are not robust to different econometric approaches. Although OLS estimates indicate that successful innovation positively impacts productivity growth, further analysis reveals that these results are mainly driven by the exceptional performance of a specific group of services firms located in the fourth quintile with respect to size, productivity and R&D propensity measure. Estimates based on matching techniques, on the other hand, do not reveal any significant positive effects of innovation on productivity growth, regardless of the sectors, firm size and type of innovation.

The rise and decline of gradualism in Slovenia

Slovenia is a typical representative of a gradualist approach to transition. The prevailing view in Slovenia is that the gradualist approach has been the best solution. Contrary to this view, this article claims that the gradualist approach to transition gives positive results in the initial period but gradually reduces the pace of reform and leads to the postponement of some necessary steps, resulting in worsening economic trends. It provides empirical evidence in support of this thesis, indicating (i) gradual worsening of the level of export competitiveness and lagging behind in the restructuring of the Slovenian manufacturing sector, thus slowing down the process of real convergence; (ii) that the most important reason for persistent inflation, which is the major problem of Slovenias nominal convergence, is structural—slow restructuring in tradables and lack of reform in non‐tradables—and is a direct consequence of a slow transition process. The article concludes that the exogenous shock of EU accession, which puts pressure on economic policy, is welcome for the badly needed acceleration of the reform process in Slovenia. Economic policy should use this exogenous shock for the accomplishment of the remaining structural reforms.

The Performance of Trading Firms in the Services Sectors – Comparable Evidence from Four EU Countries

We analyse common stylized facts of services firms engaged in trade in a comparative study across four EU member countries. We find that, though relatively less engaged in trade than manufacturing firms, services firms have similar traits. Services firms are more likely to import than to export. Their prevalent type of trade is trade in goods. The complexity of trade activities is increasing in firm size and productivity. Two-way traders outperform one-way traders. Services are more likely to be traded by firms already engaged in trade of goods. Changes in trading status by either adding another dimension of trade (imports, exports) or another type of product (goods, services) are infrequent and are associated with significant pre-switching premia. In contrast, learning effects from switching trading status are uncommon. This evidence points to significant fixed cost of being engaged in trade. Thus, the literature on heterogeneous firms is able to explain the sorting of firms into trading and non-trading firms in the services sectors as well.

Does innovation help the good or the poor performing firms

Using firm-level innovation data for a large sample of Slovenian firms in the period 1996-2002, the paper finds surprising results that innovation is not benefitting all firms. We find that only manufacturing firms with below average productivity growth (the lowest four deciles) are likely to experience significant benefits from successful innovation, while faster growing firms do not extract any additional benefits from innovation. This evidence demonstrates how innovation can affect the observed convergence of firms in terms of productivity in the manufacturing sector.

Growing lemons and cherries? Pre- and post-acquisition performance of foreign-acquired firms in new EU member states

Foreign acquisitions are an increasingly important mode of FDI in the new EU member states (NMS). Using ?rm-level data and a common estimation framework for seven NMS we study pre-and post-acquisition performance of acquired ?rms. We ?nd that selection criteria of target ?rms di¤er signi?cantly across countries. In some countries the evidence supports the idea of ?cherry picking? with better ?rms being chosen as targets for acquisition, while in the others ?lemons?with growth potential tend to get selected. Regardless of whether ?cherries?or ?lemons?are targeted, performance of acquired ?rms improved after the acquisition, whereby the boost in productivity has not been achieved by a reduction in employment, as it even increased, but rather by increased e¢ ciency in the use of labor and especially capital. Additionaly, foreign ownership is found to yield biggest rewards to small less productive ?rms.