The Intellectual Spoils of War? Defense R&D, Productivity, and International Spillovers

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Moretti, Enrico; Steinwender, Claudia; Van Reenen, John
• 署名单位: University of California System; University of California Berkeley; National Bureau of Economic Research; Center for Economic & Policy Research (CEPR); University of Munich; Leibniz Association; Ifo Institut; National Bureau of Economic Research
• 刊物名称: REVIEW OF ECONOMICS AND STATISTICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0034-6535
• DOI: 10.1162/rest_a_01293
• 发表日期: 2025-01
• 页码: 14-27
• 关键词: development subsidies

摘要

We examine the impact of government funding for R&D-anddefense-related R&D in particular-on privately conducted R&D and itsultimate effect on productivity growth. We estimate longitudinal modelsthat relate privately funded R&D to lagged government-funded R&D usingindustry-country level data from OECD countries and firm level data fromFrance. To deal with the potentially endogenous allocation of governmentR&D funds, we use changes in predicted defense R&D as an instrumentalvariable. In many OECD countries, expenditures for defense-related R&Drepresent by far the most important form of public subsidies for innova-tion. In both datasets, we uncover evidence of crowding in rather thancrowding out, as increases in government-funded R&D for an industryor a firm result in significant increases in private sector R&D in that in-dustry or firm. On average, a 10% increase in government-financed R&Dgenerates a 5% to 6% additional increase in privately funded R&D. Wealso find evidence of international spillovers, as increases in government-funded R&D in a particular industry and country raise private R&D in thesame industry in other countries. Finally, we find that increases in privateR&D induced by increases in defense R&D result in productivity gains.