Innovation for economic performance: The case of Latin American firms
Elena Arias Ortiz, Gustavo A. Crespi, Ezequiel Tacsir & Pluvia Zuniga
#2013-028
In this note, a wide range of innovation indicators are analysed in
order to describe the innovation behaviour of manufacturing firms in LAC
using the recently released Enterprise Surveys 2010. The Enterprise
Surveys define innovation rates as the share of firms introducing
product and process innovations. The survey also measures the proportion
of firms investing in research and development (R&D) and filing for
intellectual property rights (IPRs). The aim of this note is to
understand the main characteristics of innovative firms and to gather
new evidence with regard to the nature of the innovation process in the
region. Statistics about the performance of LAC firms are provided using
different types of indicators to measure firms' innovative behaviour. In
particular, differences in innovation performance and effort by country,
sector, and key firm characteristics, such as being a multinational or
exporter, are explored. Those firms in LAC that are top R&D performers
are identified, and the analysis closes with an exploration of firm
characteristics that strongly correlate with the probability of being a
top R&D performer in the region.
JEL Classification: D22, O3, O33, O34
Keywords: innovation, research and development, Latin America,
enterprise surveys