Growth of total productivity of the factors, innovation and spillovers from advanced business services

Abstract

Advanced business services (ABS) are seen as generators and disseminators of innovation among their client companies, and their use by client companies can improve efficiency and productivity. However, one question that has not been addressed is whether ABS provision can be an explanatory factor for the total productivity of the factors (TPF). This paper aims to determine whether the innovation generated and/or transmitted by ABS companies is reflected in the TPF growth in the manufacturing sector. For this purpose, a Cobb-Douglas function was estimated using panel data analysis on data of ten OECD countries in the period 1977-1996. ABS labour was considered the proxy variable for the provision of these types of services and treated as a separate factor in the production process. The quantitative study shows that the contribution of labour endowment in ABS to the efficiency and productivity of manufacturing industry is significant, that it generates spillovers and that it is an explanatory factor for the TPF.