State R&D tax credits and high-technology establishments

This empirical research examines the effects of state research and development (R&D) tax credits on the size of the high-technology business sector. In addition to a description of federal and state R&D tax credit programs, this article estimates a model that relates each of the two alternate measures of high-technology establishments in each state to state R&D tax credit, controlling for other factors. The results show that the initiation of a state R&D tax credit has significant and positive effects on the number of the state's high-technology establishments relative to its population or total business establishments. This research provides empirical evidence about the role of state R&D tax incentives in technology-based economic development.