http://repub.eur.nl/res/aut/3004/ List of Publications en http://repub.eur.nl/static-eur/img/logo.png http://repub.eur.nl http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/825/ 2003-09-04T00:00:00Z The main question dealt with in this paper is: what are the economic effects of these financial government incentives? The answer is of particular importance with a view to the question whether the government should intensify, or conversely, cut down on its R&D incentives policy. The economic effects of these R&D incentives are determined by a multitude of factors; factors which also tend to interact. In addition to the spillover effects referred to above, the main decisive factors are: the extent to which the government incentives really do lead to an increase in business R&D, and the direct effects of this extra R&D on business performance. A total of 12 mechanisms are distinguished, all of which have an effect on the economic effects of R&D incentives. These twelve mechanisms are placed in a total framework in this paper. All in all, this paper shows that the economic effects of the government?s stimulation of business R&D are particularly beneficial. The paper also sets out the mechanisms that lead to this result, and which mechanisms are of particular importance in this respect. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/6811/ 2002-06-04T00:00:00Z The importance of knowledge spillovers for achieving innovation and economic growth is widely recognized. It is not straightforward which type of spillovers is most effective: intra-sectoral spillovers or inter-sectoral spillovers. We investigate this controversy using a model of regional growth. The model also deals with the impact of local competition on innovation and growth. The model is estimated using sectoral data for 40 Dutch regions in the period 1987-1995. We find that local competition is important particularly for economic growth in industry sectors (manufacturing and construction), while diversity, a proxy for inter-sectoral spillovers, is important particularly for growth in service sectors. We find no effect for specialization (a proxy for intra-sectoral spillovers).