The Demand for Researchers: Does Public R&D Support Make a Difference?

Although the literature provided insights into the impact of R&D support programs on (private) R&D expenditures, output growth and productivity, little research has tended to focus on the relationship between public R&D support and the demand for researchers that constitute the main input for technological activities. The aim of this study is to analyze the impact of R&D support programs in Turkey on the demand for researchers over the period 1993–2001. We estimated the labor demand function for researchers by using firm-level panel data. Our estimation results show that R&D support recipients demand more researchers to increase their R&D activities: R&D support programs in Turkey seem to be effective in raising the demand for researchers in manufacturing industries. Copyright Eurasia Business and Economics Society 2013