R&D Cooperation Between Firms---A Perceived Transaction Cost Perspective

Transaction cost is considered as an explanatory variable for the choice between markets and various organizational arrangements for performing some predefined tasks, such as engaging in private R&D. With respect to R&D cooperation between firms, we show that the perception of high transaction cost is related to certain characteristics of the firm and to the type of R&D task. We also show a relationship between the perception of transaction cost and the perceived success of the cooperation. The analysis sheds light on various determinants of transaction costs.