Factors of R&D spillovers and European integration

We investigate factors of total factor productivity (TFP) interdependencies in a sample of 19 OECD countries for the period 1981-2009. Rolling cointegration relationships are estimated between TFP's level in order to measure productivity interdependencies across countries and over time, Besides the standard catch-up effect in productivity, results show that the R&D capital stock of a country is the main determinant of its technological catch-up within European countries. In contrast, those spillovers are mainly driven by trade and technological proximity for non European countries.