Overview
The existence of multinational enterprises (MNEs) is to a large extent attributed to the creation and utilization of firm-specific intangible assets, such as technological knowledge generated by research and development (R&D). This thesis focusses on two questions related to R&D and technology transfer by MNEs. First, to what extent do firms transfer technology to their affiliates located abroad? Second, what are the motives for undertaking R&D in the foreign affiliates? These issues are important for a broader understanding of technology transfer between countries, since MNEs perform the bulk of the world's industrial R&D, and are also key actors in the international diffusion of technological knowledge. The empirical analysis is based on detailed data on Swedish MNEs collected by IUI since 1965.Synopsis
The existence of multinational enterprises (MNEs) is to a large extent attributed to the creation and utilization of firm-specific intangible assets, such as technological knowledge generated by research and development (R&D). This thesis focusses on two questions related to R&D and technology transfer by MNEs. First, to what extent do firms transfer technology to their affiliates located abroad? Second, what are the motives for undertaking R&D in the foreign affiliates? These issues are important for a broader understanding of technology transfer between countries, since MNEs perform the bulk of the world's industrial R&D, and are also key actors in the international diffusion of technological knowledge. The empirical analysis is based on detailed data on Swedish MNEs collected by IUI since 1965.