Technology Adoption in and Out of Major Urban Areas: When Do Internal Firm Resources Matter Most?

34 Pages Posted: 23 Nov 2005 Last revised: 26 Oct 2022

See all articles by Chris Forman

Chris Forman

Cornell University - Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management

Avi Goldfarb

University of Toronto - Rotman School of Management

Shane M. Greenstein

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); Harvard University - Technology & Operations Management Unit

Date Written: September 2005

Abstract

How much do internal firm resources contribute to technology adoption in major urban locations, where the advantages from agglomeration are greatest? The authors address this question in the context of a business's decision to adopt advanced Internet technology. Drawing on a rich data set of adoption decisions by 86,879 U.S. establishments, the authors find that the marginal contribution of internal resources to adoption is greater outside of a major urban area than inside one. Agglomeration is therefore less important for highly capable firms. The authors conclude that firms behave as if resources available in cities are substitutes for both establishment-level and firm-level internal resources.

Suggested Citation

Forman, Chris and Goldfarb, Avi and Greenstein, Shane M. and Greenstein, Shane M., Technology Adoption in and Out of Major Urban Areas: When Do Internal Firm Resources Matter Most? (September 2005). NBER Working Paper No. w11642, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=812016

Chris Forman

Cornell University - Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management ( email )

Ithaca, NY
United States

Avi Goldfarb

University of Toronto - Rotman School of Management ( email )

105 St. George Street
Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E6 M5S1S4
Canada
416-946-8604 (Phone)
416-978-5433 (Fax)

Shane M. Greenstein (Contact Author)

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Harvard University - Technology & Operations Management Unit ( email )

Boston, MA 02163
United States

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