• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.75-86
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• 2009

This paper studies examines the R&D efficiency in Korean energy industry by making multiple logistic regression of the product technological level with firms' endogenous technological efforts and cooperations for R&D between upstream and downstream firms. The technological level of Korean energy industry is analyzed to have been positively influenced by economy of scale effect and cooperations for R&D between upstream and downstream firms, but negatively impacted by firm size, and not impacted by competitive market structure, R&D investment, and R&D manpowers. The implications of this study are as follows: i) to heighten the technological level, domestic market would be transformed to be more competitive; ii) Korean Energy industry should make efforts intensifying R&D-related manpowers and investments; iii) although the firm size is analyzed to have negative impact on technological level, firms, lager or smaller, must be supported to accumulate technological capabilities; iv) R&D-cooperating efforts between upstream and downstream firms on the value-chain should be supported.