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Regional competitiveness, university spillovers, and entrepreneurial activity

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Abstract

This study examines the impact of regional competitiveness on the innovative activity of entrepreneurial firms. Based on a unique and hand-collected dataset of publicly listed high-technology start-ups and university regions, this paper tests how regional competitiveness and university spillovers affect the innovation behavior of entrepreneurial firms. The results provide strong evidence that regional competitiveness and university spillovers are strong complements in fostering innovation activity of entrepreneurial firms. However, the results also raise the question whether incentives for universities and their actors might lead to crowding out effects.

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Acknowlegements

We are grateful to Katharine Wirsching, Alexander Starnecker and Stephanie C. Göttche for research assistance. We gratefully acknowledge the advice and recommendations of two anonymous reviewers and of the participants of the workshop on “Entrepreneurial activity and Regional Competitiveness” at the Basque Institute of Competitiveness, San Sebastian, June, 2009, in particular Roy Thurik, Enrico Santarelli and our discussant Evila Piva.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Development Strategies, Indiana University, 1315 East Tenth Street, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA

    David B. Audretsch

  2. King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia

    David B. Audretsch

  3. WHU, Otto Beisheim Graduate School of Management, Burgplatz 2, Vallendar, 56179, Germany

    David B. Audretsch

  4. Department of Business and Economics, University of Augsburg, Universitätsstrasse 16, 86159, Augsburg, Germany

    Marcel Hülsbeck & Erik E. Lehmann

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  1. David B. Audretsch
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  2. Marcel Hülsbeck
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Correspondence to Erik E. Lehmann.

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Audretsch, D.B., Hülsbeck, M. & Lehmann, E.E. Regional competitiveness, university spillovers, and entrepreneurial activity. Small Bus Econ 39, 587–601 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-011-9332-9

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