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Andreas Assiotis, Marios Zachariadis and Andreas Savvides |
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''What Determines Technology Diffusion Across Frontiers? R&D Content, Human Capital and Institutions'' |
( 2015, Vol. 35 No.2 ) |
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This paper examines the determinants of international technology diffusion across a sample of 127 countries for the period 1961-2011. We measure technology diffusion by the importation of two capital goods categories that embody different R&D content: computers and metalworking machinery. We fi
nd that economic institutions and political institutions have a large and significant effect on computer imports (that embody a higher R&D content) but not for less technologically-intensive types of capital goods such as metalworking machinery. The role of institutions is mirrored by that of human capital. Together, these results highlight the role of institutions and human capital in facilitating embodied technology diffusion through capital goods imports, more than mere capital accumulation. |
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Keywords: embodied technology diffusion, capital goods imports, institutions |
JEL: O4 - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity: General E3 - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles: General (includes Measurement and Data) |
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Manuscript Received : Feb 17 2015 | | Manuscript Accepted : Apr 03 2015 |
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