Regional scientific production and specialization in Europe. The role of HERD

Abstract

This paper analyses the effects of R&D expenditure in the higher education sector (HERD) on the scientific production across regions in Europe 15. Our research questions relates to the regional production of science and the role of academic R&D expenditures on regional scientific output. The results show that money affects the production of scientific results in regions. On average, we found different impacts and lags of R&D expenditure according to the level of regional development. Our findings also suggest that scientific specialization is a significant factor affecting scientific outputs, although its effects differ across disciplines and regions.