Pedro Mendi

Renewable energy innovations in Europe: a dynamic panel data approach

We investigate the determinants of renewable energy R&D intensity and the impact of renewable energy innovations on firm performance, using several dynamic panel data models. We estimate these models using a large data set of European firms from 19 different countries, with some patenting activity in areas related to renewable energies during the 1987 to 2007 period. Our results confirm our priors on the determinants of the rapid development of renewable energy R&D intensity during the past decades. Additionally, we find evidence that renewable patent intensity has a significant dynamic impact on the stock market value of firms.

Complementarity in firm-level innovation strategies: a comparative study of Kenya and Nigeria

We present and analyse firm-level innovation data from Kenya and Nigeria. We test for the existence of complementarities between internal R&D and external innovation activities, and between organizational and marketing innovations. Some evidence is found on the existence of complementarities between internal and external technological innovation strategies in the case of Kenya, but not in the case of Nigeria. However, organizational and marketing innovations do not appear to be complementary in innovation either in Kenya or in Nigeria.

Fractional integration in total factor productivity: evidence from US data

This study examines the stochastic properties of different measures of Total Factor Productivity (TFP) in the USA and their components using fractional integration. The results show that its structure is more complicated than expected, formed by the interaction of various seasonal and non-seasonal unit (or fractional) processes. Thus, output (measured in terms of the GDP or the business sector value added) may be modelled as a unit root; the order of integration of capital is much higher than 1 and it may be specified even as an I(2) process, while labour contains a seasonal unit root. However, in all these cases, fractional degrees of integration may be even better characterizations for these series. As a result, the TFP series appear to be seasonally fractionally integrated, with d constrained between 0.5 and 1. A deeper investigation of the orders of integration at each of the frequencies shows that the order of integration at zero plays a much more important role that the seasonal frequencies, a result that is explained by the different stochastic nature of the components underlying the TFP.

Contractual implications of international trade in tacit knowledge

This article searches for evidence on the additional difficulty the parties have in contracting for the transfer of know-how relative to the transfer of patented technology. A sample of contracts for the acquisition of technology Spanish firms in 1991 is analysed to find a positive relationship between contract duration and the likelihood of transferring know-how in unaffiliated transfers. It is also found that technical assistance is bundled together with the transfer of know-how, suggesting that the parties try to mitigate opportunistic behaviour on the licensors side.

Quality differences, third-degree price discrimination, and welfare

We propose a theoretical model to analyze the welfare implications of price discrimination in the presence of differences in quality. The model considers two markets where in each market competition takes place between a local firm that operates in that market only and a global firm that operates in both markets. All firms are assumed to be producing with zero marginal costs. Local firms produce a good that is perceived by consumers to have superior quality than that produced by the global firm. We find that there are parameter values such that welfare increases while total output decreases if the global firm engages in price discrimination. This is due to a positive allocation effect brought about precisely by the global firm engaging in price discrimination.

Unit taxes and ad valorem taxes with vertically differentiated products

This article analyses a model in which a local monopolist that produces low-quality goods competes against a foreign competitive industry that produces a higher quality version of the goods. We use the model to analyse the welfare implications of introducing a unit tax on the local producer, relative to an ad valorem tax. We find parameter values for which the unit tax dominates the ad valorem tax, in the sense of increasing welfare while not reducing government revenues. This result contrasts with the mainstream results on the dominance of ad valorem over unit taxes.