The impact of internationalization on innovation at countries’ level: the role of absorptive capacity

Andrea Filippetti, Marion Frenz, Grazia Ietto‐Gillies · 2016 · Cambridge Journal of Economics

Summary. This study examines how internationalization affects innovation across 40 countries, measuring innovation through patent applications. Outward foreign direct investment boosts patenting, with stronger effects in countries possessing high absorptive capacity, though returns diminish. Inward FDI harms innovation in low-capacity countries by displacing local activities. Countries with weak absorptive capacity benefit from both imports and exports for innovation performance.

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Filippetti, A., Frenz, M., & Ietto‐Gillies, G.. (2016). The impact of internationalization on innovation at countries’ level: the role of absorptive capacity. Cambridge Journal of Economics. https://doi.org/10.1093/cje/bew032

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  title   = {The impact of internationalization on innovation at countries’ level: the role of absorptive capacity},
  author  = {Andrea Filippetti and Marion Frenz and Grazia Ietto‐Gillies},
  journal = {Cambridge Journal of Economics},
  year    = {2016},
  doi     = {10.1093/cje/bew032},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1093/cje/bew032}
}

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AU  - Andrea Filippetti
AU  - Marion Frenz
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Details

DOI: 10.1093/cje/bew032
Categories: innovation-theory, regional-innovation-systems, general-innovation
Added: 2026-04-28