 RESUMENEn esta investigación se evalúan los determinantes de la innovación y su efecto sobre la productividad en las empresas extranjeras y domésticas exportadoras utilizando datos de sección cruzada a nivel de empresa para la industria manufacturera en Colombia. Entre los principales hallazgos están: (i) el esfuerzo realizado por las empresas exportadoras y las subsidiarias extranjeras en actividades de innovación favorece la obtención de innovaciones tanto en productos como en procesos. Sin embargo difieren tanto en el nivel de los rendimientos de la inversión obtenidos por la inversión en innovación como en el tipo de actividad innovadora en que se basa la producción de innovaciones; (ii) tan sólo la innovación en producto tiene un impacto positivo en la productividad, en especial cuando la producción de innovaciones está relacionada con la ejecución de actividades de I+D y (iii) entre las principales variables con efectos relevantes sobre la innovación en las empresas internacionalizadas están las barreras financieras, la disponibilidad de recursos humanos, la protección de innovaciones, la cooperación, en especial, en la cadena de producción, y en el caso específico de las subsidiarias su posición en el grupo multinacional. Palabras claves: Innovación, productividad, internacionalización, subsidiarias extranjeras, empresas exportadoras. JEL: O31, O32, O38. ABSTRACTThis paper investigates the determinants of innovation and productivity in foreign subsidiaries and national exporters firms, using cross-sectional data at firm level for the industry in Colombia. The major findings suggest that: (i) the effort made by export companies and foreign subsidiaries in innovation activities favours the obtaining of innovations in both product and process. However, they differ in the level of investment returns and the type of innovation activities in which is based the knowledge production; (ii) only product innovation has a positive impact on productivity, especially when it is the result of the implementation of R&D activities and (iii) the main factors that affect innovation in exporting companies and foreign subsidiaries are financial barriers, levels of human resources, protection of innovations, cooperation with clients and suppliers and, specifically, in foreign subsidiaries their position in the multinational group.

PurposeThis paper explains the mechanisms underlying the generation of two-way knowledge spillovers through the interaction of subsidiaries with differentiated local responsibilities and domestic firms.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on firm-level panel data from a census of Colombian manufacturing firms for the period 2003–2012. The estimation procedure involves two stages. In the first one, total factor productivity (TFP) of foreign and domestic firms is estimated. In a second step, we estimate conventional spillovers (from foreign-owned to local firms) and reverse spillovers (from local to foreign-owned firms) separately, using a random effect approach.FindingsThis study’s findings reveal that only locally creative subsidiaries enjoy positive and significant two-way knowledge spillover effects. The connectivity of subsidiaries to local and international networks is reinforced by reciprocal relationships among actors that enhance bidirectional knowledge flows, these being favored by the dynamics of clustering effects.Originality/valueThe paper contributes with new empirical evidence about the mechanism explaining how the technological heterogeneity of subsidiaries plays a determinant role in the generation of both knowledge flows from foreign to domestic firms and to the reverse, all integrated into the same framework.

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the factors that influence innovation and productivity in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) manufacturing enterprises in Colombia, in comparison with larger firms.Design/methodology/approachThe study was based on firm-level panel data extracted from a census of Colombian manufacturing firms between 2007 and 2014. The authors used an adapted version of the Crepon-Duguet-Mairesse (CDM) sequential approach that interrelates R&D intensity, innovation outputs and productivity.FindingsThis study's findings indicate that investing in R&D has a positive impact on innovation in both SMEs and larger firms. However, the effect on productivity is significantly higher for SMEs. Evidence also suggests that the innovation performance of SMEs and larger firms is influenced by co-evolution among the firm's resources and capabilities, knowledge flows with external organizations, access to funding and knowledge appropriability conditions. However, highly qualified personnel, internal and commercial sources of funding, and market knowledge sourcing are crucial for innovation in SMEs. These conclusions are especially relevant for the design of industrial and innovation policies in developing economies, where innovation is a prerequisite for catching up and economic advancement.Originality/valueThe paper provides new empirical evidence on the determinants of innovation in SMEs, the mechanisms by which innovation capabilities and outputs affect its productive performance, and how the relationship between these dimensions varies with firm size in the context of a developing country.