Progresso Tecnico Multioutput e Ruolo di R&S e Assistenza Tecnica. Applicazione dell'Analisi Nonparametrica all'Agricoltura Italiana

This paper analyses the process of technical change focusing on the effects both of R&D and extension investiments and on the induced innovation hypotesis. This is done relying on a nonparamatric approach to production analysis consisting in analysing a finite body of data without ad hoc specification of functional form of production function. In a multi-output framework, the original nonparametric approach is extended introducing technical change in the form of "netput augmentation" providing a complete characterization of technical change. Moreover, a dynamic relationship between netput augmentations and R&D and extension investments is specified. The methodology is applied to Italian agriculture. The analysis provides useful information about the source and dynamic nature of technical progress.