Migration and innovation: Does cultural diversity matter for regional R&D activity?
Annekatrin Niebuhr
IAB Nord, Regional Research Network, Institute for Employment Research, Projensdorfer Straße 82, D-24106 Kiel, Germany (e-mail: [email protected] )
I would like to thank Christoph Grenzmann (Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft) for the generous provision of regional R&D data and Andrea Stöckmann for excellent research assistance. Financial support from the Volkswagen Foundation is gratefully acknowledged as part of the Study Group on Migration and Integration ‘Diversity, Integration and the Economy’. I thank Herbert Brücker, Eckhardt Bode, Stefan Fuchs, Rüdiger Wapler and anonymous referees for helpful comments and suggestions on an earlier version of this paper. The usual disclaimer applies.
Search for more papers by this authorAnnekatrin Niebuhr
IAB Nord, Regional Research Network, Institute for Employment Research, Projensdorfer Straße 82, D-24106 Kiel, Germany (e-mail: [email protected] )
I would like to thank Christoph Grenzmann (Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft) for the generous provision of regional R&D data and Andrea Stöckmann for excellent research assistance. Financial support from the Volkswagen Foundation is gratefully acknowledged as part of the Study Group on Migration and Integration ‘Diversity, Integration and the Economy’. I thank Herbert Brücker, Eckhardt Bode, Stefan Fuchs, Rüdiger Wapler and anonymous referees for helpful comments and suggestions on an earlier version of this paper. The usual disclaimer applies.
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Recent theoretical research deals with economic costs and benefits of cultural diversity related to immigration. However, empirical evidence regarding the impact of cultural diversity on economic performance is still scarce. We analyse the effect of cultural diversity of the labour force on patent applications for a cross-section of German regions. The results suggest that differences in knowledge and capabilities of workers from diverse cultural backgrounds enhance performance of regional R&D sectors. As regards innovation, the benefits of diversity seem to outweigh the costs caused, for example, by communication barriers.
Resumen
La investigación teórica reciente trata los costos económicos y los beneficios de la diversidad cultural relacionados con la inmigración. Sin embargo, aun son escasas las pruebas empíricas relacionadas con el impacto de la diversidad cultural sobre el desempeño económico. Analizamos el efecto de la diversidad cultural de la fuerza laboral sobre solicitudes de patentes para una muestra transversal de regiones alemanas. Los resultados sugieren que las diferencias en conocimiento y capacidad de los trabajadores de orígenes culturales diversos mejoran el rendimiento de los sectores regionales de I+D. en cuanto a la innovación, parece ser que los beneficios de la diversidad superan con creces los costos que implican, por ejemplo en barreras de comunicación.
References
- Acs Z, Audretsch DB, Feldman M (1994) R&D spillovers and recipient firm size. Review of Economics and Statistics 76: 336–367
- Alesina A, La Ferrara E (2005) Ethnic diversity and economic performance. Journal of Economic Literature 43: 762–800
- Almeida P, Kogut B (1999) Localization of knowledge and the mobility of engineers in regional networks. Management Science 45: 907–917
- Anderson R, Quigley JM, Wilhelmsson M (2005) Agglomeration and the spatial distribution of creativity. Papers in Regional Science 83: 445–464
-
Anselin L,
Florax JGM (1995) Small sample properties of tests for spatial dependence in regression models: Some further results. In: L Anselin,
JGM Florax (eds) New directions in spatial econometrics. Springer, Berlin
10.1007/978-3-642-79877-1_2 Google Scholar
- Anselin L, Varga A, Acs Z (1997) Local geographic spillovers between university research and high technology innovations. Journal of Urban Economics 42: 422–448
- Audretsch DB, Dohse D, Niebuhr A (2009) Cultural diversity and entrepreneurship. A regional analysis for Germany. Annals of Regional Science (forthcoming) DOI 10.1007/s00168-009-0291-x
- Bauer T, Epstein G, Gang IN (2002) Herd effects or migration networks? The location choice of Mexican immigrants in the U.S. IZA Discussion Paper No 551
- Bauer T, Kunze A (2004) The demand for high-skilled workers and immigration policy. Brussels Economic Review 47: 57–75
- Berliant M, Fujita M (2008) Knowledge creation as a square dance on the Hilbert cube. International Economic Review 49: 1251–1295
- Bickenbach F, Bode E (2008) Disproportionality measures of concentration, specialization, and localization. International Regional Science Review 31: 359–388
- Bode E (2004) The spatial pattern of localized R&D spillovers: An empirical investigation for Germany. Journal of Economic Geography 4: 43–64
- Bottazzi L, Peri G (2003) Innovation and spillovers in regions: Evidence from European patent data. European Economic Review 47: 687–710
-
Burkert C,
Niebuhr A,
Wapler R (2008) Regional disparities in employment of high skilled foreigners. Determinants and options for labour-migration policy in Germany.
Journal of International Migration and Integration
9: 383–400
10.1007/s12134-008-0071-y Google Scholar
- Card D (2001) Estimating the returns to schooling: Progress on some persistent econometric problems. Econometrica 69: 1127–1160
- Chellaraj G, Maskus KE, Mattoo A (2008) The contribution of skilled immigration and international graduate students to U.S. innovation. Review of International Economics 16: 444–462
- Constant A, Gataullina L, Zimmermann KF (2006) Ethnosizing immigrants. IZA Discussion Paper No 2040
- Duranton G, Puga D (2000) Diversity and specialisation in cities: Why, where and when does it matter? Urban Studies 37: 533–555
- Duranton G, Puga D (2001) Nursery cities: Urban diversity, process innovation, and the life cycle of products. American Economic Review 91: 1454–1477
- Easterly W, Levine R (1997) Africa's growth tragedy: Policies and ethnic divisions. Quarterly Journal of Economics 111: 1203–1250
- Feldman M, Audretsch DB (1999) Innovation in cities: Science-based diversity, specialization and localized competition. European Economic Review 43: 409–429
- Fujita M, Weber S (2004) Strategic immigration policies and welfare in heterogeneous countries. FEEM Working Paper No 2
- Glaeser EL, Kallal HD, Scheinkman JA, Shleifer A (1992) Growth in cities. Journal of Political Economy 100: 1126–1152
- Greif S, Schmiedl D (2002) Patentatlas Deutschland – Ausgabe 2002. Dynamik und Strukturen der Erfindungstätigkeit, München
- Griliches Z (1979) Issues in assessing the contribution of R&D to productivity growth. Bell Journal of Economics 10: 92–116
- Griliches Z (1990) Patent statistics as economic indicators: A survey. Journal of Economic Literature 28: 1661–1707
- Griliches Z, Hausman J (1986) Errors in variables in panel data. Journal of Econometrics 31: 93–118
- Henderson V, Kuncoro A, Turner M (1995) Industrial development in cities. Journal of Political Economy 103: 1067–1090
- Hunt J, Gauthier-Loiselle M (2008) How much does immigration boost innovation? NBER Working Paper No 14312
- Jacobs J (1969) The economy of cities. Random House, New York
- Johnston J, DiNardo J (1997) Econometric methods. McGraw-Hill, New York
- Keely LC (2003) Exchanging good ideas. Journal of Economic Theory 111: 192–213
- Kerr W, Lincoln WF (2008) The supply side of innovation: H-1B visa reforms and U.S. ethnic invention. Harvard Business School Working Paper No 09-005
- Kim J, Marchke G (2005) Labor mobility of scientists, technological diffusion, and the firm's patenting decision. The Rand Journal of Economics 36: 298–317
- Koenker R, Bassett G (1978) Regression quantiles. Econometrica 46: 33–50
- Lazear EP (1999a) Culture and language. Journal of Political Economy 107: 95–126
- Lazear EP (1999b) Globalisation and the market for team-mates. The Economic Journal 109: C15–C40
- Lazear EP (2000) Diversity and immigration. In: GJ Borjas (ed) Issues in the economics of immigration. University of Chicago Press, Chicago
- Longhi S, Nijkamp P, Poot J (2008) Meta-analysis of empirical evidence on the labour market impacts of immigration. IZA Discussion paper No 3418
- Ottaviano GIP, Peri G (2005) Cities and cultures. Journal of Urban Economics 58: 304–337
- Ottaviano GIP, Peri G (2006) The economic value of cultural diversity: Evidence from US cities. Journal of Economic Geography 6: 9–44
- Ozgen C, Nijkamp P, Poot J (2009) The effect of migration on income convergence: Meta-analytic evidence, Tinbergen Institute Discussion Paper No 2009-022/3
- Romer PM (1990) Endogenous technological change. Journal of Political Economy 98: S71–S102
- Scherngell T, Barber MJ (2009) Spatial interaction modelling of cross-region R&D collaborations: Empirical evidence from the 5th EU framework programme. Papers in Regional Science 88: 531–546
- Simonen J, McCann P (2008) Firm innovation: The influence of R&D cooperation and the geography of human capital inputs. Journal of Urban Economics 64: 146–154
- Staiger D, Stock JH (1997) Instrumental variables regression with weak instruments. Econometrica 65: 557–586
- Statistisches Bundesamt (2009) Bevölkerung und Erwerbstätigkeit. Bevölkerung mit Migrationshintergrund – Ergebnisse des Mikrozensus 2007. Statistisches Bundesamt, Wiesbaden
- Zimmermann KF (2005) European labour mobility: Challenges and potentials. De Economist 153: 425–450
