How Effective are Fiscal Incentives for R&D? a New Review of the Evidence

54 Pages Posted: 17 Jun 1999 Last revised: 29 Nov 2022

See all articles by Bronwyn H. Hall

Bronwyn H. Hall

University of California at Berkeley; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS); Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition

John Van Reenen

London School of Economics - Centre for Economic Performance (CEP); Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS); Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

Date Written: April 1999

Abstract

This paper surveys the econometric evidence on the effectiveness of fiscal incentives for R&D. We describe the effects of tax systems in OECD countries on the user cost of R&D - the current position, changes over time and across different firms in different countries. We describe and criticize the methodologies used to evaluate the effect of the tax system on R&D behavior and the results from different studies. In the current (imperfect) state of knowledge we conclude that a dollar in tax credit for R&D stimulates a dollar of additional R&D.

Suggested Citation

Hall, Bronwyn H. and Van Reenen, John Michael, How Effective are Fiscal Incentives for R&D? a New Review of the Evidence (April 1999). NBER Working Paper No. w7098, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=164935

Bronwyn H. Hall (Contact Author)

University of California at Berkeley ( email )

549 Evans Hall #3880
Berkeley, CA 94720-3880
United States

HOME PAGE: http://emlab.berkeley.edu/users/bhhall/index.html

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS)

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Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition

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Germany

John Michael Van Reenen

London School of Economics - Centre for Economic Performance (CEP) ( email )

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Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) ( email )

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London, WC1E 7AE
United Kingdom
+44 20 7240 6740 (Phone)
+44 20 7240 6136 (Fax)

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

London
United Kingdom

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