Ownership structure, technology transfer and firm performance

Abstract

This paper contributes to the literature on corporate governance by providing evidence on the importance of owner identity on technology transfer from foreign firms. To this end we use a panel of Estonian firms for 1993-2002 and employ panel data techniques to avoid endogeneity and sample selection bias. We find that across different ownership groups only domestic outsiders benefit from spillovers of technology transfer. However, a large technology gap with foreign firms motivates all local firms to use their existing technology more efficiently and as such successfully cope with the increased open market competition. Furthermore, because of rent seeking and/or asset striping behavior insider owned firms, face financial constraints, and as such cannot invest in new technology as much as domestic outsider owned firms.