Cooperation in Research and Development provides an empirical and theoretical analysis of a distinct form of inter-firm collaboration in Research & Development (R&D): research joint ventures (RJVs). Of all types of cooperation, RJVs have received the most attention in both formal industrial organization and science and technology policy literature. The emerging theoretical economic literature on incentives of firms to join RJVs has not been followed by much empirical work. Cooperation in Research and Development attempts to fill the void caused by this lack of consistent data on the rate of RJV formation, RJV characteristics, and RJV member characteristics. Significant attention is paid to the role of RJVs in facilitating `virtual' firm diversification as necessary to pursue particular technological objectives. An effort is also made to blend the reported theoretical and empirical analyses with conceptual models of the process of technological innovation and models of industrial evolution in order to provide answers beyond the reach of the received economic theory. Cooperation in Research and Development should be of interest to academic economists, policy makers, and business representatives. The microeconomic issues the book deals with overlap significantly with the interests of decision makers both in government and business.

Product Description: As a result of globalization, strategies for investments in innovation capabilities have gained considerably in importance for businesses, research institutions and policymakers. Public policy has to provide conditions for investments in R&D and innovation that are internationally attractive and effective in stimulating innovation, economic growth and job creation...read more

Product Description: The last twenty years have witnessed a tremendous increase in industrial collaboration in research and development (R&D) both in Europe and the world at large. Firms have increasingly opted for collaboration in an effort to deal with the uncertainties that stem from rising research costs, rapid technological change and the development of a network economy...read more

Product Description: This book is an attempt to combine theoretical and empirical analysis of co-operative industrial research and to treat this phenomenon as part of a more general process of industrial evolution. The theoretical and empirical findings can be linked together to provide testable hypotheses concerning the "best timeing" for successful pursuit of co-operative research...read more