International R&D Spillovers Revisited

Using newly constructed panel data from seventeen OECD countries during 1971–2000, this paper examines the effect of international R&D spillovers via intermediate goods imports on a country’s productivity. Estimation models are built on the model of Coe and Helpman (1995). They are tested and estimated using improved econometric techniques for panel cointegration test and estimation. Estimation results confirm the robust positive effect of international R&D spillovers through the channel of intermediate goods imports. This contradicts recent skepticism about the results of Coe and Helpman (1995) that has been raised with the development of panel data econometrics.