Working Papers

The Financial System

F-series

Date:

Number:CARF-F-003

Foreign Technology Acquisition Policy and Firm Performance in Japan, 1957-1970: The Japanese Industrial Policy Revisited (Published in "International Journal of Industrial Organization", Sep2005, Vol. 23 Issue 7/8, p563-586. )

Author:Kiyota, Kozo and Tetsuji Okazaki

Abstract

We examine the cause and effect of technology acquisition policy on firm performance, using firm-level data between 1957 and 1970. Our results indicate that in the technology acquisition licensing, the government screened a firm's application, based on (i) the industry that the firm belonged to and (ii) firm's sales ranking in the industry. As a result, large but inefficient firms tended to acquire more technologies before the deregulation. Despite such screening process, the technology acquisition policy did not result in a serious failure. The firms that acquired technology grew much faster than those did not during the regulation period.

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