Skip to main content

The Role of R&D Investments on Labor Force: The Case of Selected Developed Countries

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
  • 783 Accesses

Part of the book series: Contributions to Management Science ((MANAGEMENT SC.))

Abstract

Whether the change in R&D spending creates technological unemployment, in particular, is a controversial issue. Acceptance of this hypothesis might not be possible under all circumstances. At this point, especially if country-based research is conducted, it might be the right choice to consider the countries with the highest R&D expenditure. This study empirically analyses the role of R&D spending on unemployment by using annual data from 1996 to 2017 of 15 developed countries. In empirical results, it was first determined that there is no co-integration between the ratio of R&D expenditures to GDP and the unemployment rate. Therefore, an attempt was made to determine the existence of a hidden co-integration among the shocks of these variables. The direction of asymmetric causality among them was investigated as a result of the detection of findings that is evidence of hidden co-integration. Although there is an otherwise observation, asymmetric causality analysis results predominantly show that there is causality from R&D expenditures to unemployment.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    https://data.oecd.org/rd/gross-domestic-spending-on-r-d.htm

References

  • Acemoglu, D. (2010). When does labor scarcity encourage innovation? Journal of Political Economy, 118(6), 1037–1078.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Acemoglu, D., & Autor, D. (2011). Skills, tasks and technologies: Implications for employment and earnings. In Handbook of labor economics (Vol. 4, pp. 1043–1171). New York: Elsevier.

    Google Scholar 

  • Acemoğlu, D., & Restrepo, P. (2016). The race between machines and humans: Implications for growth, factor shares and jobs. Retrieved 6, 2019.

    Google Scholar 

  • Acemoglu, D., & Restrepo, P. (2017a). Robots and jobs: Evidence from US labor markets.

    Google Scholar 

  • Acemoglu, D., & Restrepo, P. (2017b). Secular stagnation? The effect of aging on economic growth in the age of automation. American Economic Review, 107(5), 174–179.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Acemoglu, D., & Restrepo, P. (2018a). The race between man and machine: Implications of technology for growth, factor shares, and employment. American Economic Review, 108(6), 1488–1542.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Acemoglu, D., & Restrepo, P. (2018b). Artificial intelligence, automation and work (No. w24196). National Bureau of Economic Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Agovino, M., Aldieri, L., Garofalo, A., & Vinci, C. P. (2018). R&D spillovers and employment: Evidence from European patent data. Empirica, 45(2), 247–260.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aguilera, A., & Ramos Barrera, M. G. (2016). Technological unemployment: An approximation to the Latin American case. AD-minister, 29, 58–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Akcali, B. Y., & Sismanoglu, E. (2015). Innovation and the effect of research and development (R&D) expenditure on growth in some developing and developed countries. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 195, 768–775.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ansal, H. K., & Cetindamar Karaomerlioglu, D. (1999). New technologies and employment: Industry and firm level evidence from Turkey. New Technology, Work and Employment, 14(2), 82–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arntz, M., Gregory, T., & Zierahn, U. (2016). The risk of automation for jobs in OECD countries: A comparative analysis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Asongu, S. A. (2013). How would population growth affect investment in the future? Asymmetric panel causality evidence for Africa. African Development Review, 25(1), 14–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Autor, D. H. (2015). Why are there still so many jobs? The history and future of workplace automation. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 29(3), 3–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Autor, D. H., Levy, F., & Murnane, R. J. (2003). The skill content of recent technological change: An empirical exploration. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 118(4), 1279–1333.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Azagra-Caro, J. M., Tijssen, R. J., Tur, E. M., & Yegros-Yegros, A. (2019). University-industry scientific production and the great recession. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 139, 210–220.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barlow, M. (2016). AI and medicine: Data-driven strategies for improving healthcare and saving lives.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barnhizer, D. (2016, January 15). The future of work: Apps, artificial intelligence, automation and androids. Artificial Intelligence, Automation and Androids. Cleveland-Marshall Legal Studies Paper, 289.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bessen, J. E. (2016). How computer automation affects occupations: Technology, jobs, and skills. Boston University School of Law, Law and Economics Research Paper, 15–49.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bogliacino, F., & Vivarelli, M. (2010). The job creation effect of R&D expenditures. IEB Working Paper 2010/55.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bogliacino, F., Piva, M., & Vivarelli, M. (2014). Technology and employment: The job creation effect of business R&D. Rivista Internazionale di Scienze Sociali, 126, 239–264.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brouwer, E., Kleinknecht, A., & Reijnen, J. O. (1993). Employment growth and innovation at the firm level. Journal of Evolutionary Economics, 3(2), 153–159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bruun, E. P., & Duka, A. (2018). Artificial intelligence, jobs and the future of work: Racing with the machines. Basic Income Studies, 13(2), 1–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brynjolfsson, E., & Mitchell, T. (2017). What can machine learning do? Workforce implications. Science, 358(6370), 1530–1534.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brynjolfsson, E., McAfee, A., & Spence, M. (2014). New world order: Labor, capital, and ideas in the power law economy. Foreign Affairs, 93(4), 44–53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bustinza, O. F., Gomes, E., Vendrell-Herrero, F., & Baines, T. (2019). Product–service innovation and performance: The role of collaborative partnerships and R&D intensity. R&D Management, 49(1), 33–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Calvino, F., & Virgillito, M. E. (2018). The innovation-employment nexus: A critical survey of theory and empirics. Journal of Economic Surveys, 32(1), 83–117.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campa, R. (2017). Technological unemployment: A brief history of an idea. ISA eSymposium for Sociology, 7(1), 57.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chomanski, B. (2019). Massive technological unemployment without redistribution: A case for cautious optimism. Science and Engineering Ethics, 25(5), 1389–1407.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ciriaci, D., Moncada-Paternò-Castello, P., & Voigt, P. (2016). Innovation and job creation: A sustainable relation? Eurasian Business Review, 6(2), 189–213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cirillo, V. (2017). Technology, employment and skills. Economics of Innovation and New Technology, 26(8), 734–754.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clausen, T. H. (2009). Do subsidies have positive impacts on R&D and innovation activities at the firm level? Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, 20(4), 239–253.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coad, A., & Rao, R. (2010). Firm growth and R&D expenditure. Economics of Innovation and New Technology, 19(2), 127–145.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crespi, G., & Tacsir, E. (2011, September). Effects of innovation on employment in Latin America. In 2011 Atlanta Conference on Science and Innovation Policy (pp. 1–11). IEEE.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dankert, C. E. (1959). Technological change and unemployment. Lab. LJ, 10, 393.

    Google Scholar 

  • Darcy, A. M., Louie, A. K., & Roberts, L. W. (2016). Machine learning and the profession of medicine. JAMA, 315(6), 551–552.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • David, P. A., Hall, B. H., & Toole, A. A. (2000). Is public R&D a complement or substitute for private R&D? A review of the econometric evidence. Research Policy, 29(4–5), 497–529.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dinçer, H., Yüksel, S., & Pınarbaşı, F. (2020). Kano-based measurement of customer expectations in retail service industry using IT2 DEMATEL-QUALIFLEX. In Handbook of research on positive organizational behavior for improved workplace performance (pp. 349–370). Hershey, PA: IGI Global.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Ernst, E., Merola, R., & Samaan, D. (2019). Economics of artificial intelligence: Implications for the future of work. IZA Journal of Labor Policy, 9(1), 7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ersin, İ., & Ergeç, E. H. (2018). Harcama Bileşenleri ve Sektörel İstihdam Arasındaki Nedensellik İlişkisi. Yönetim ve Ekonomi Araştırmaları Dergisi, 16(1), 161–180.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eti, S., Kalkavan, H., Dinçer, H., & Yüksel, S. (2020). Predicting the role of Islamic banking on sustainable economic development: An analysis for Turkey with ARIMA model. In Handbook of research on creating sustainable value in the global economy (pp. 146–164). Hershey, PA: IGI Global.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feldmann, H. (2013). Technological unemployment in industrial countries. Journal of Evolutionary Economics, 23(5), 1099–1126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frey, C. B., & Osborne, M. A. (2017). The future of employment: How susceptible are jobs to computerisation? Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 114, 254–280.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gajewska, K. (2014). Technological unemployment but still a lot of work: Towards prosumerist services of general interest. Journal of Evolution and Technology, 24(1), 104–112.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gera, I., & Singh, S. (2019). A critique of economic literature on technology and fourth industrial revolution: Employment and the nature of jobs. The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, 62(4), 715–729.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gerçeker, M., Özmen, İ., & Mucuk, M. (2019). AR-GE harcamalari ve işsizlik arasindaki nedenselliğin ampirik analizi: G7 ülkeleri örneği. Marmara Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Dergisi, 41(2), 413–431.

    Google Scholar 

  • Granger, C. W., & Yoon, G. (2002). Hidden cointegration. University of California, Economics Working Paper, 2002-02.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gregory, T. E. (1930). Rationalisation and technological unemployment. The Economic Journal, 40(160), 551–567.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guerrero, M., Cunningham, J. A., & Urbano, D. (2015). Economic impact of entrepreneurial universities’ activities: An exploratory study of the United Kingdom. Research Policy, 44(3), 748–764.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haile, G., Srour, I., & Vivarelli, M. (2017). Imported technology and manufacturing employment in Ethiopia. Eurasian Business Review, 7(1), 1–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hall, B. H. (1992). Investment and research and development at the firm level: Does the source of financing matter? (No. w4096). National Bureau of Economic Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hatemi-J, A. (2011). Asymmetric panel causality tests with an application to the impact of fiscal policy on economic performance in Scandinavia. Munich, Germany: University Library of Munich.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hatemi-J, A. (2018). Hidden panel cointegration. Journal of King Saud University-Science, 32, 507–510.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hatemi-J, A., Gupta, R., Ksango, A., Mboweni, T., & Netshitenzhe, N. (2014). Are there asymmetric causal relationships between tourism and economic growth in a panel of G-7 countries. University of Pretoria, Department of Economics Working Paper, 76, p. 18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heijs, J. (2003). Freerider behaviour and the public finance of R&D activities in enterprises: The case of the Spanish low interest credits for R&D. Research Policy, 32(3), 445–461.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heijs, J., & Herrera Danny, L. (2004). The distribution of R&D subsidies and its effect on the final outcome of innovation policy.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hirschi, A. (2018). The fourth industrial revolution: Issues and implications for career research and practice. The Career Development Quarterly, 66(3), 192–204.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ipsos. (2020). Global views on jobs and automation. Retrieved January 28, 2020, from https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2020-01/report-jobs-and-automation-global-advisor.pdf

  • Kähler, A. (1935). The problem of verifying the theory of technological unemployment. Social Research, 2, 439–460.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kalkavan, H., & Ersin, I. (2019). Determination of factors affecting the south east Asian crisis of 1997 probit-logit panel regression: The south east Asian crisis. In Handbook of research on global issues in financial communication and investment decision making (pp. 148–167). Hershey, PA: IGI Global.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kapeliushnikov, R. (2019). The phantom of technological unemployment. Russian Journal of Economics, 5(1), 88–116.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, T. W., & Scheller-Wolf, A. (2019). Technological unemployment, meaning in life, purpose of business, and the future of stakeholders. Journal of Business Ethics, 160(2), 319–337.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kirchhoff, B. A., Newbert, S. L., Hasan, I., & Armington, C. (2007). The influence of University R&D Expenditures on new business formations and employment growth. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 31(4), 543–559.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kliman, A. J. (1997). Technological disemployment in the neoclassical model. Review of Political Economy, 9(1), 37–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Korinek, A., & Stiglitz, J. E. (2017). Artificial intelligence and its implications for income distribution and unemployment (No. w24174). National Bureau of Economic Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krousie, C. (2018). Technological unemployment in the United States: A state-level analysis. Major Themes in Economics, 20(1), 87–101.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kwon, S. J., Park, E., Ohm, J. Y., & Yoo, K. (2015). Innovation activities and the creation of new employment: An empirical assessment of South Korea’s manufacturing industry. Social Science Information, 54(3), 354–368.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lachenmaier, S., & Rottmann, H. (2011). Effects of innovation on employment: A dynamic panel analysis. International Journal of Industrial Organization, 29(2), 210–220.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, X., & Tan, Y. (2019). University R&D activities and firm innovations. Finance Research Letters, 28, 328–336.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li, G., Hou, Y., & Wu, A. (2017). Fourth industrial revolution: Technological drivers, impacts and coping methods. Chinese Geographical Science, 27(4), 626–637.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Link, A. N. (2000). Assessing the economic impacts of university R&D and identifying roles for technology transfer officers. Industry and Higher Education, 14(1), 24–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lloyd, C., & Payne, J. (2019). Rethinking country effects: Robotics, AI and work futures in Norway and the UK. New Technology, Work and Employment, 34(3), 208–225.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Manning, A. (2004). We can work it out: The impact of technological change on the demand for low-skill workers. Scottish Journal of Political Economy, 51(5), 581–608.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marchant, G. E., Stevens, Y. A., & Hennessy, J. M. (2014). Technology, unemployment & policy options: Navigating the transition to a better world. Journal of Evolution and Technology, 24(1), 26–44.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin, F. (1998). The economic impact of Canadian university R&D. Research Policy, 27(7), 677–687.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matuzeviciute, K., Butkus, M., & Karaliute, A. (2017). Do technological innovations affect unemployment? Some empirical evidence from European countries. Economies, 5(4), 48.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Medda, G., Piga, C., & Siegel, D. S. (2004). University R&D and firm productivity: Evidence from Italy. The Journal of Technology Transfer, 30(1–2), 199–205.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mokyr, J., Vickers, C., & Ziebarth, N. L. (2015). The history of technological anxiety and the future of economic growth: Is this time different? Journal of Economic Perspectives, 29(3), 31–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Naastepad, C. W. M., & Houghton Budd, C. (2019). Preventing technological unemployment by widening our understanding of capital and Progress: Making robots work for us. Ethics and Social Welfare, 13(2), 115–132.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Naastepad, C. W. M., & Mulder, J. M. (2018). Robots and us: Towards an economics of the ‘good life’. Review of Social Economy, 76(3), 302–334.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neisser, H. P. (1942). Permanent “technological unemployment:” demand for commodities is not demand for labor. The American Economic Review, 50–71.

    Google Scholar 

  • Novak, V., & Dizdarevic, D. (2018). The future of work in the light of technological change. International Journal of Economics and Law, 8(23), 127–136.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oberdabernig, D.A. (2016). Employment effects of innovation in developing countries: A summary, Swiss Programme for research on global issues for development, Swiss Programme for Research on Global Issues for Development R4D Working Paper, 2016/2.

    Google Scholar 

  • OECD. (2012). Main science and technology indicators. OECD Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pajarinen, M., Rouvinen, P., & Ekeland, A. (2015). Computerization threatens one-third of Finnish and Norwegian employment. Etla Brief, 34, 1–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pastor, J. M., Pérez, F., & De Guevara, J. F. (2013). Measuring the local economic impact of universities: An approach that considers uncertainty. Higher Education, 65(5), 539–564.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peters, M. A. (2017). Technological unemployment: Educating for the fourth industrial revolution. Journal of Self-Governance and Management Economics, 5(1), 25–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peters, M. A. (2019). Beyond technological unemployment: The future of work. Educational Philosophy and Theory.https://doi.org/10.1080/00131857.2019.1608625.

  • Peters, M. A., & Jandrić, P. (2019). Posthumanism, open ontologies and bio-digital becoming: Response to Luciano Floridi’s Onlife Manifesto.

    Google Scholar 

  • Piva, M., & Vivarelli, M. (2005). Innovation and employment: Evidence from Italian microdata. Journal of Economics, 86(1), 65–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Piva, M., & Vivarelli, M. (2017). Is R&D Good for Employment? Microeconometric Evidence from the EU (No. 10581). IZA Discussion Papers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Postel-Vinay, F. (2002). The dynamics of technological unemployment. International Economic Review, 43(3), 737–760.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pwc. (2017). The economic impact of artificial intelligence on the UK economy. Retrieved January 28, 2020, from https://www.pwc.co.uk/economic-services/assets/ai-uk-report-v2.pdf

  • Roessner, D., Bond, J., Okubo, S., & Planting, M. (2013). The economic impact of licensed commercialized inventions originating in university research. Research Policy, 42(1), 23–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sanchez, D. (2019, June). Sustainable development challenges and risks of industry 4.0: A literature review. In 2019 Global IoT Summit (GIoTS) (pp. 1–6). IEEE.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scheinkman, M. (2019). Intimacies: An integrative multicultural framework for couple therapy. Family Process, 58(3), 550–568.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwab, K. (2016). Dördüncü sanayi devrimi. Istanbul: Optimist Yayın Grubu.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spencer, D. A. (2018). Fear and hope in an age of mass automation: Debating the future of work. New Technology, Work and Employment, 33(1), 1–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Standing, G. (1984). The notion of technological unemployment. International Labour Review, 123, 127.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stiglitz, J. E. (2014). Unemployment and innovation (No. w20670). National Bureau of Economic Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Susskind, D. (2017). A model of technological unemployment. Economics Series Working Papers, 819.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tamayo, M. P., & Huergo, E. (2016). The effect of R&D services offshoring on skilled employment: Firm evidence. The World Economy, 39(9), 1414–1433.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taşçı, F. (2010). Yaşlılara yönelik sosyal politikalar: İsveç, Almanya, İngiltere ve İtalya örnekleri. Çalışma ve Toplum, 1, 175–202.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taşçı, F. (2013). Refah devleti modelleri içinde Türkiye’nin pozisyonu:“yaşlı algısı” üzerinden değerlendirmeler. İnsan & Toplum Dergisi, 3(5), 5–35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Roy, V., Vértesy, D., & Vivarelli, M. (2018). Technology and employment: Mass unemployment or job creation? Empirical evidence from European patenting firms. Research Policy, 47(9), 1762–1776.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vivarelli, M. (2012). Entrepreneurship in advanced and developing countries: A microeconomic perspective. ISO 690. IZA discussion paper no. 6513.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vivarelli, M. (2014). Innovation, employment and skills in advanced and developing countries: A survey of economic literature. Journal of Economic Issues, 48(1), 123–154.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wajcman, J. (2017). Automation: Is it really different this time? The British Journal of Sociology, 68(1), 119–127.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walker, M. (2014). BIG and technological unemployment: Chicken little versus the economists. Journal of Evolution and Technology, 24(1), 5–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Woodward, D., Figueiredo, O., & Guimaraes, P. (2006). Beyond the Silicon Valley: University R&D and high-technology location. Journal of Urban Economics, 60(1), 15–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu, M., David, J. M., & Kim, S. H. (2018). The fourth industrial revolution: Opportunities and challenges. International Journal of Financial Research, 9(2), 90–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, G., Zhou, S., Xia, X., Yüksel, S., Baş, H., & Dincer, H. (2020). Strategic mapping of youth unemployment with interval-valued intuitionistic hesitant fuzzy DEMATEL based on 2-tuple linguistic values. IEEE Access, 8, 25706–25721.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Halim Baş .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Baş, H., Canöz, İ. (2020). The Role of R&D Investments on Labor Force: The Case of Selected Developed Countries. In: Dincer, H., Yüksel, S. (eds) Strategic Priorities in Competitive Environments. Contributions to Management Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45023-6_14

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics