Absorptive capacity and regional patterns of innovation

This paper considers whether differences in absorptive capacity at the firm-level are determinants of regional variations in innovation performance. Differences in firms’ absorptive capacity are also due to sectoral and technological specificities. Both firms’ absorptive capacity and sectoral structure differ widely across regions: this analysis focuses on the former while controlling for the latter aspect in order to evaluate regional differences in firms’ propensity to innovate.