Does participation in innovation networks improve firms' relational abilities? Evidence from a regional policy framework

We contribute to the debate on the assessment of the behavioural effects of policies by investigating which features of policy interventions in support of innovation networks, if any, improve the firms’ ability to form subsequent relationships. In order to do so, we analyse the evolution of dyadic relationships within a set of policy interventions implemented by the Italian region of Tuscany between 2002 and 2008, aimed at supporting innovation projects performed by networks of heterogeneous agents. Our analysis shows that the observed policies have changed the relational pattern of the firms, pushing them to collaborate – often in a stable way – with a number of agents. We find that a large sectoral heterogeneity among agents is generally associated with a lower probability of networking; and that the presence of specialized intermediaries increases the firms’ ability to network with universities.