This dissertation examines various determinants of innovative output, as measured by
patenting and publishing. Innovation from a theoretical standpoint is a key to economic
growth. I first consider how the increased propensity to collaborate in research and development (R&D) efforts may affect the innovative productivity of firms. Specifically,
I ask whether or not international (R&D) networks that exist between firms are key inputs
into the innovative production function. I find evidence that limiting competition
amongst network partners is key to achieving the positive spillovers that policy makers
expect. Next, with Alex Whalley, I consider how efficient research universities are at applying
their unrestricted resources towards innovative output. Specifically we ask how
university innovation is causally related to the addition of unrestricted funds. We find
that when universities are given additional dollars that their innovative output does indeed
increase. However, the relative quality goes down as forward citations on marginal
publications decrease; indicative of a trade-off between research focused on funding
from inputs versus those on outputs.