The impact of R & D subsidies on R & D employment composition

Abstract:

In this article, we examine the impact of subsidies granted at national and regional levels on a set of research and development (R & D) employment variables, and we specifically seek to identify the existence of additional effects of these public subsidies on the R & D human resources of firms. We begin by assessing the effects of public funds on private R & D expenditure and on the number of R & D employees, and then focus on the impact of these funds on the composition of human resources engaged in R & D classified by occupation and level of education. The data used are from the Spanish Technological Innovation Panel for the period 2006-2011. To control for selection bias and endogeneity, a combination of nonparametric matching techniques is used. Our results show that R & D subsidies increase the number of R & D employees, but no contemporaneous increase is found in the average level of qualification of R & D staff members in subsidized firms. Nevertheless, in the subsequent years there is a positive effect on the recruitment of PhD holders. The effects of public support are heterogeneous and are dependent on the source of the subsidy and the firms' characteristics.

Año de publicación:

2016

Keywords:

Fuente:

scopus