The nexus between labor diversity and firm's innovation
Details
Serval ID
serval:BIB_B2A9D1622F9D
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
The nexus between labor diversity and firm's innovation
Journal
Journal of Population Economics
ISSN
0933-1433
Publication state
Published
Issued date
04/2014
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
27
Number
2
Pages
303-364
Language
english
Abstract
In this paper, we investigate the nexus between firm labor diversity and innovation by using data on patent applications filed by firms at the European Patent Office and a linked employer-employee database from Denmark. Exploiting the information retrieved from these comprehensive data sets and implementing proper instrumental variable strategies, we estimate the contribution of workers' diversity in cultural background, education and demographic characteristics to valuable firm's innovation activity. Specifically, we find evidence supporting the hypothesis that ethnic diversity may facilitate firms' patenting activity in several ways by (a) increasing the propensity to (apply for a) patent, (b) increasing the overall number of patent applications, and (c) by enlarging the breadth of patenting technological fields, conditional on patenting. Several robustness checks corroborate the main findings.
Keywords
labor diversity, ethnic diversity, patenting activity, extensive and intensive margins
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Create date
29/10/2013 17:11
Last modification date
21/08/2019 6:13