Determinants and spatial dependence of innovation in Brazilian regions: evidence from a Spatial Tobit Model

Abstract This paper analyses the spatial patterns and spatial interdependencies of innovation and the role that local determinants of innovation play in Brazilian micro-regions. Specifically, it evaluates how local firms’ R&D, regional academic research, agglomeration level and local industrial specialization or diversification affect regional innovation. To analyse these factors, an empirical model based on the Knowledge Production Function (KPF) is estimated using a Spatial Autoregressive Tobit (SAR-Tobit) with Brazilian patent data. The results indicate that higher levels of regional industrial R&D imply greater innovation and that greater university research at a regional level positively impacts industrial innovation. Moreover, agglomerated and diverse regions present better innovative performance. Regarding spatial dynamics, the proximity of the most innovative microregions positively affects local innovation, which shows the existence of interregional knowledge spillovers that are associated with innovative activities.