{"title":"Examining the effects of national intellectual capital on economic growth: does digital services trade restrictiveness matter?","authors":"Duc Hong Vo, Merrill Warkentin, Ngoc Phu Tran","doi":"10.1108/jkm-12-2023-1288","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<h3>Purpose</h3>\n<p>The moderating role of digital services trade restrictiveness to the effects of national intellectual capital on economic growth has been largely ignored in the existing literature. As such, this paper aims to examine how national intellectual capital and digital services trade restrictiveness affect economic growth. In addition, the moderating role of digital services trade restrictiveness in the relationship between national intellectual capital and economic growth is also examined.</p><!--/ Abstract__block -->\n<h3>Design/methodology/approach</h3>\n<p>In this study, a sample comprising 62 countries worldwide is used. The national intellectual capital for each country is computed using the index of national intellectual capital. Data pertaining to digital services trade restrictiveness are extracted from the digital services trade restrictiveness index (OECD Statistics on International Trade in Services database). To ensure the robustness of the findings, the generalized method of moments (GMM) is used in the analysis.</p><!--/ Abstract__block -->\n<h3>Findings</h3>\n<p>The findings of this study confirm that national intellectual capital supports economic growth. Accumulating intellectual capital at the national level plays an essential role in supporting economic growth. The authors also find evidence to confirm that digital services trade restrictiveness negatively affects economic growth, particularly for high-income and lower-middle-income countries. Interestingly, digital services trade restrictiveness deteriorates economic growth across countries globally, except for upper-middle-income countries, with a weak effect. The empirical results also confirm that the joint effects between national intellectual capital and digital services trade restrictiveness are negative and significant. As such, findings from our analysis suggest that digital services trade restrictiveness moderates the relationship between national intellectual capital and economic growth.</p><!--/ Abstract__block -->\n<h3>Practical implications</h3>\n<p>The findings of this study provide valuable implications for policymakers to formulate and implement policies aiming to improve national intellectual capital to support sustainable economic growth. In addition, limiting digital services trade restrictiveness across countries appears to provide both direct and indirect effects in enhancing sustainable economic growth.</p><!--/ Abstract__block -->\n<h3>Originality/value</h3>\n<p>To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first empirical study conducted to examine the moderating role of digital services trade restrictiveness on the national intellectual capital – economic growth nexus.</p><!--/ Abstract__block -->","PeriodicalId":48368,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Knowledge Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.6000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Knowledge Management","FirstCategoryId":"91","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jkm-12-2023-1288","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"INFORMATION SCIENCE & LIBRARY SCIENCE","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Purpose
The moderating role of digital services trade restrictiveness to the effects of national intellectual capital on economic growth has been largely ignored in the existing literature. As such, this paper aims to examine how national intellectual capital and digital services trade restrictiveness affect economic growth. In addition, the moderating role of digital services trade restrictiveness in the relationship between national intellectual capital and economic growth is also examined.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, a sample comprising 62 countries worldwide is used. The national intellectual capital for each country is computed using the index of national intellectual capital. Data pertaining to digital services trade restrictiveness are extracted from the digital services trade restrictiveness index (OECD Statistics on International Trade in Services database). To ensure the robustness of the findings, the generalized method of moments (GMM) is used in the analysis.
Findings
The findings of this study confirm that national intellectual capital supports economic growth. Accumulating intellectual capital at the national level plays an essential role in supporting economic growth. The authors also find evidence to confirm that digital services trade restrictiveness negatively affects economic growth, particularly for high-income and lower-middle-income countries. Interestingly, digital services trade restrictiveness deteriorates economic growth across countries globally, except for upper-middle-income countries, with a weak effect. The empirical results also confirm that the joint effects between national intellectual capital and digital services trade restrictiveness are negative and significant. As such, findings from our analysis suggest that digital services trade restrictiveness moderates the relationship between national intellectual capital and economic growth.
Practical implications
The findings of this study provide valuable implications for policymakers to formulate and implement policies aiming to improve national intellectual capital to support sustainable economic growth. In addition, limiting digital services trade restrictiveness across countries appears to provide both direct and indirect effects in enhancing sustainable economic growth.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first empirical study conducted to examine the moderating role of digital services trade restrictiveness on the national intellectual capital – economic growth nexus.
期刊介绍:
Knowledge Management covers all the key issues in its field including:
■Developing an appropriate culture and communication strategy ■Integrating learning and knowledge infrastructure
■Knowledge management and the learning organization
■Information organization and retrieval technologies for improving the quality of knowledge
■Linking knowledge management to performance initiatives ■Retaining knowledge - human and intellectual capital
■Using information technology to develop knowledge management ■Knowledge management and innovation
■Measuring the value of knowledge already within an organization ■What lies beyond knowledge management?