R&D investments and employment decisions as a function of enterprise size and regional population density before and during COVID-19

Norwegian data show that from 2018 to 2020, enterprises in densely populated regions increased R&D investments relative to those in sparsely populated regions, but not from 2016 to 2018. Therefore, COVID-19 likely induced the shift. The findings imply that densely populated regions have become m...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inFrontiers in research metrics and analytics Vol. 8; p. 1107309
Main Authors Aarstad, Jarle, Jakobsen, Stig-Erik, Kvitastein, Olav Andreas
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 23.02.2023
Subjects
Research Metrics and Analytics
COVID-19
R&D investments
regions
employment
enterprise size
Online AccessGet full text
ISSN2504-0537
2504-0537
DOI10.3389/frma.2023.1107309

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Summary:Norwegian data show that from 2018 to 2020, enterprises in densely populated regions increased R&D investments relative to those in sparsely populated regions, but not from 2016 to 2018. Therefore, COVID-19 likely induced the shift. The findings imply that densely populated regions have become more R&D-intensive, while sparsely populated regions have become less R&D-intensive during the pandemic. Small enterprises increased both R&D investments and employment from 2018 to 2020 relative to large enterprises and the analyses control for regression toward the mean effects. The findings were similar to those observed in the period from 2016 to 2018, which rules out COVID-19 as an explanation. Instead, the waves of data indicate a long-term trend where small enterprises increased R&D investments and employment.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
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Edited by: André Van Stel, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Reviewed by: Catalina Martínez, Institute of Public Goods and Policies (CSIC), Spain; Elena Makrevska Disoska, Saints Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje, North Macedonia; Katerina Toshevska-Trpchevska, Saints Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje, North Macedonia
This article was submitted to Research Policy and Strategic Management, a section of the journal Frontiers in Research Metrics and Analytics
ISSN:2504-0537
2504-0537
DOI:10.3389/frma.2023.1107309