Title

Managerial incentives, CEO characteristics and corporate innovation in China's private sector

Document Type

Journal article

Source Publication

Journal of Comparative Economics

Publication Date

6-1-2011

Volume

39

Issue

2

First Page

176

Last Page

190

Publisher

Academic Press

Keywords

Corporate innovation, Managerial incentives, CEO characteristics

Abstract

We use a unique World Bank survey of 1,088 private manufacturing firms from 18 Chinese cities over the period 2000 to 2002 to empirically examine the roles of managerial incentives and CEO characteristics in a firm’s innovation activities. We look at both innovation effort (R&D intensity) and innovation performance measures such as new product sales. We obtain the following main results: (1) the presence of CEO incentive schemes increases both corporate innovation effort and innovation performance; (2) sales-based performance measures in the incentive scheme, as compared with profit-based performance measure, are more conducive to firm innovation; and (3) CEO education level, professional background and political connection are positively associated with firm’s innovation efforts. The main results are robust to endogeneity tests with instrumental variables. We also discuss some important policy implications.

DOI

10.1016/j.jce.2009.12.001

Print ISSN

01475967

E-ISSN

10957227

Publisher Statement

Copyright © 2010 Association for Comparative Economic Studies Published by Elsevier Inc.

Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.

Full-text Version

Publisher’s Version

Language

English

Recommended Citation

Lin, C., Lin, P., Song, F. M., & Li, C. (2011). Managerial incentives, CEO characteristics and corporate innovation in China's private sector. Journal of Comparative Economics, 39(2), 176-190. doi: 10.1016/j.jce.2009.12.001

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