We propose a new control function (CF) method to estimate a binary response model in a triangular system with multiple unobserved heterogeneities The CFs are the expected values of the heterogeneity ...terms in the reduced form equations conditional on the histories of the endogenous and the exogenous variables. The method requires weaker restrictions compared to CF methods with similar imposed structures. If the support of endogenous regressors is large, average partial effects are point-identified even when instruments are discrete. Bounds are provided when the support assumption is violated. An application and Monte Carlo experiments compare several alternative methods with ours.
Considering the importance of innovation activities, especially that of young firms, for aggregate productivity growth, the study, using Estonian Community Innovation Survey (CIS) data, compares the ...productivity implications of R&D, capital accumulation, and innovation output for entrants and incumbents and contrasts the findings to those for Germany, a representative developed economy. First, in contrast to the developed economies, the percentage of innovating firms is much larger than the percentage that invests in R&D, which indicates the prevalence of non-R&D, such as ‘doing, using, and interacting’ (DUI), mode of innovation. Second, contrary to findings for the developed economies, the impact of R&D on productivity for the entrants and incumbents does not differ. However, the impact of innovation output – many of which are a result of DUI mode – on productivity is much higher for the entrants. Third, despite the adverse sectoral composition typical of catching-up economies, Estonian incumbents, who are the primary carriers of ‘scientific and technologically-based innovative’ (STI) activities, are as good as German incumbents in translating R&D into productivity gains. Fourth, while embodied technological change through capital accumulation is found to be more effective than R&D for improving productivity, the effectiveness is higher for R&D performing firms. Our results suggest that certain policy recommendations for spurring productivity growth in developed economies may be unsuitable for catching-up economies.
•Productivity impacts of R&D and innovations – mostly due to DUI mode – are estimated.•DUI mode of innovation is more prevalent than the STI mode among Estonian firms.•Entrants reap higher benefits from own innovations than incumbents.•Incumbents reap similar benefits from R&D as incumbents in developed economies.•Growth policies for developed economies may be unsuitable for catching-up countries.
We propose a new control function (CF) method to estimate a binary response model in a triangular system with multiple unobserved heterogeneities The CFs are the expected values of the heterogeneity ...terms in the reduced form equations conditional on the histories of the endogenous and the exogenous variables. The method requires weaker restrictions compared to CF methods with similar imposed structures. If the support of endogenous regressors is large, average partial effects are point-identified even when instruments are discrete. Bounds are provided when the support assumption is violated. An application and Monte Carlo experiments compare several alternative methods with ours.
We study the productivity implications of R&D, capital accumulation, and innovation output for entrants and incumbents in Estonia. First, in contrast to developed economies, a small percentage of ...firm engage in formal R&D, but a much larger percentage innovate. Second, while we find no difference in the R&D elasticity of productivity for the entrants and incumbents, the impact of innovation output - many of which are a result of 'doing, using and interacting' (DUI) mode of innovation - is found to be higher for the entrants. Entrants who innovate are 21% to 30% more productive than entrants who do not; the corresponding figures for the incumbents are 10% to 13%. Third, despite the adverse sectoral composition typical of catching-up economies, Estonian incumbents, who are the primary carriers of 'scientific and technologically-based innovative' (STI) activities, are comparable to their counterparts in developed economies in translating STI activities into productivity gains. Fourth, while embodied technological change through capital accumulation is found to be more effective in generating productivity growth than R&D, the effectiveness is higher for firms engaging in R&D. Finally, our results suggest that certain policy recommendations for spurring productivity growth in technologically advanced economies may not be applicable for catching-up economies.
A limited number of functional molecular markers has slowed the desired genetic improvement of Stylosanthes species. Hence, in an attempt to develop simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, genomic ...libraries from Stylosanthes seabrana B.L. Maass & ’t Mannetje (2n = 2x = 20) using 5′ anchored degenerate microsatellite primers were constructed. Of the 76 new microsatellites, 21 functional primer pairs were designed. Because of the small number of primer pairs designed, 428 expressed sequence tag (EST) sequences from seven Stylosanthes species were also examined for SSR detection. Approximately 10% of sequences delivered functional primer pairs, and after redundancy elimination, 57 microsatellite repeats were selected. Tetranucleotides followed by trinucleotides were the major repeated sequences in Stylosanthes ESTs. In total, a robust set of 21 genomic–SSR (gSSR) and 20 EST–SSR (eSSR) markers were developed. These markers were analyzed for intraspecific diversity within 20 S. seabrana accessions and for their cross-species transferability. Mean expected (Hₑ) and observed (Hₒ) heterozygosity values with gSSR markers were 0.64 and 0.372, respectively, whereas with eSSR markers these were 0.297 and 0.214, respectively. Dendrograms having moderate bootstrap value (23%–94%) were able to distinguish all accessions of S. seabrana with gSSR markers, whereas eSSR markers showed 100% similarities between few accessions. The set of 21 gSSRs, from S. seabrana, and 20 eSSRs, from selected Stylosanthes species, with their high cross-species transferability (45% with gSSRs, 86% with eSSRs) will facilitate genetic improvement of Stylosanthes species globally.
Guineagrass (Panicum maximum Jacq.) is an important forage grass of tropical and semi-tropical regions, largely apomictic and predominantly exist in tetraploid form. For molecular breeding work, it ...is prerequisite to develop and design molecular markers for characterization of genotypes, development of linkage map and marker assisted selection. Hence, it is an important researchable issue to develop molecular markers in those crops where such information is scanty. Among many molecular markers, microsatellites or simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers are preferred markers in plant breeding. Degenerate primers bearing simple sequence repeat as anchor motifs can be utilized in rapid development of SSR markers; however selection of suitable degenerate primers is a prerequisite for such procedure so that SSR enriched genomic library can be made rapidly. In the present study seven degenerated primers namely KKVRVRV(AG)10, KKVRVRV(GGT)5, KKVRVRV(CT)10, KKVRVRV(AAT)6, KKVRVRV(GTG)6, KKVRVRV(GACA)5, and KKVRVRV(CAA)6 were used in amplification of Panicum maximum genomic DNA. Primers with repeat motifs (GGT)5 and (AAT)6 have not reacted whereas (AG)10, (GACA)5 and (CAA)6 highly informative as they have generated many DNA fragments ranging from 250 to 1600 bps as revealed from the results obtained with restriction digestion of recombinant plasmids. Primer with (CT)10 anchor repeat, amplified fragments of high molecular weight where as (GTG)6 primer generated only six bands with low concentration indicating less suitability of these primerin SSR markers development in P maximum.
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