Knowledge Diffusion from Multinational Enterprises: The Role of Domestic and Foreign Knowledge-Enhancing Activities

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Abstract
Many existing works using firm-level data sets have examined whether or not knowledge spills over from MNEs to domestically owned firms in a less developed country, but the literature has not come to a general consensus on the presence of spillovers. A possible reason for the mixed results is that they do not adequately address domestic and foreign efforts for active diffusion. The present paper thus incorporates R&D activities and human resource development conducted by MNEs and domestic firms to investigate whether these activities enhance knowledge diffusion from MNEs, using establishment-level panel data for the Indonesian manufacturing sector. We find that R&D activities and human resource development conducted by MNEs stimulate knowledge diffusion from MNEs to domestic firms, while knowledge diffusion from MNEs without such activities is absent. Moreover, R&D activities by a domestic firm are also found to promote knowledge diffusion from MNEs to the firm, although this result is sensitive to estimation specifications. It is thus suggested that knowledge diffusion from MNEs requires domestic or foreign efforts in R&D and human resource development.

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