Stephen Roper - Professor of Enterprise, Director of ERC | Staff Directory

Research Interests

Innovation, enterprise growth and development, regional development, and industrial policy evaluation.

Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Enterprise Research Centre

Email: Stephen.Roper@wbs.ac.uk / Tel: 024 765 22501 / Room: 2.207

Biography

Stephen Roper joined WBS in the Enterprise and Innovation Group in January 2008. He is Director of the Enterprise Research Centre, an independent research centre which conducts policy relevant research on SME growth and development. The ERC is a partnership between Warwick Business School, Aston Business School, Birmingham, Imperial College Business School, Strathclyde Business School and Birmingham University Business School. Funding is being provided by the Economic and Social Research Council, the UK government Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the British Bankers Association and the Technology Strategy Board.

Prior to joining WBS, Stephen was Professor of Business Innovation at Aston Business School and before that he was Assistant Director of the Northern Ireland Economic Research Centre, Belfast. Stephen holds a BA Hons in Economics from the University of Durham, an MPil in Economics from Oxford University and a PhD in Economics from LSE.

Stephen's main research interests are in innovation, enterprise growth and development, regional development, and industrial policy evaluation. Previous projects have been supported by the Economic and Social Research Council, the EU, the British Academy, and the Royal Irish Academy as well as a number of government departments in the UK, Ireland, US and Israel.

Stephen has consulted on aspects of innovation and enterprise policy for a wide range of organizations including the OECD, the DTI, the Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform, the UK government's Small Business Service, East Midlands Development Agency, Advantage West Midlands, the Scottish Executive, Invest Northern Ireland, Forfas (Dublin), Enterprise Ireland, Northern Bank, InterTradeIreland, the Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment (Belfast), and the Department of Education and Learning (Belfast).

Stephen was previously a member of the ESRC Strategic Priorities Board (2008-11). He is a consulting editor of the International Journal of Small Business, a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

In 2009 Stephen Roper led a project commissioned by Nesta as part of the UK Innovation Index called 'Measuring firm-level innovation performance in six areas of the UK economy'.

At WBS Stephen teaches a second year module - International Perspectives on Enterprise and a third year module - Innovation and Alternative Energy Technologies. He also leads MBA modules in Innovation and Creativity and Innovation and Alternative Energy Technologies.

Publications

Journal Articles

Bourke, J., Roper, S. and Love, J. H. (2020) "Innovation in legal services : the practices that influence ideation and codification activities", Journal of Business Research, 109, 132-147
Athreye, S. S., Fassio, C. and Roper, S. (2020) "Small firms and patenting revisited", Small Business Economics
Thorpe, A. and Roper, S. (2019) "The ethics of gamification in a marketing context", Journal of Business Ethics, 155, 2, 597-609
Vanino, E., Roper, S. and Becker, B. (2019) "Knowledge to money : assessing the business performance effects of publicly-funded R&D grants", Research Policy, 48, 7, 1714-1737
Hewitt-Dundas, N., Gkypali, A. and Roper, S. (2019) "Does learning from prior collaboration help firms to overcome the ‘two-worlds’ paradox in university-business collaboration?", Research Policy, 48, 6, 1310-1322
Hewitt-Dundas, N. and Roper, S. (2018) "Exploring market failures in open innovation ", International Small Business Journal, 36, 1, 23-40
Hewitt-Dundas, N. and Roper, S. (2018) "Innovation in UK Higher Education : a panel data analysis of undergraduate degree programmes ", Research Policy, 47, 1, 121-138
Youtie, J., Shapira, P. and Roper, S. (2018) "Exploring Links Between Innovation and Profitability in Georgia Manufacturers", Economic Development Quarterly, 32, 4, 271-287
Lucena, A. and Roper, S. (2017) "Absorptive capacity and ambidexterity in R&D : linking technology alliance diversity and firm innovation", European Management Review, 13, 3, 159-178
Roper, S., Love, J. H. and Bonner, K. (2017) "Firms’ knowledge search and local knowledge externalities in innovation performance", Research Policy, 46, 1, 43-56
Roper, S. and Hewitt-Dundas, N. (2017) "Investigating a neglected part of Schumpeter’s creative army : what drives new-to-the-market innovation in micro-enterprises?", Small Business Economics, 49, 3, 559-577
Bourke, J. and Roper, S. (2017) "Innovation, quality management and learning : short-term and longer-term effects", Research Policy, 46, 8, 1505-1518
Roper, S., Micheli, P., Love, J. H. and Vahter, P. (2016) "The roles and effectiveness of design in new product development : a study of Irish manufacturers", Research Policy, 45, 1, 319-329
Bourke, J. and Roper, S. (2016) "AMT adoption and innovation : an investigation of dynamic and complementary effects ", Technovation, 55-56, 42-55
Love, J. H., Roper, S. and Zhou, Y. (2015) "Experience, age and exporting performance in UK SMEs", International Business Review, 25, 4, 806-819
Vahter, P., Love, J. H. and Roper, S. (2015) "Openness and innovation performance : are small firms different?", Industry and Innovation, 21, 7-8, 553-573
Roper, S. and Hewitt-Dundas, N. (2015) "Knowledge stocks, knowledge flows and innovation: Evidence from matched patents and innovation panel data", Research Policy, 44, 7, 1327-1340
Bakhshi, H., Edwards, J. S., Roper, S., Scully, J., Shaw, D., Morley, L. and Rathbone, N. (2015) "Assessing an experimental approach to industrial policy evaluation : applying RCT+ to the case of Creative Credits", Research Policy, 44, 8, 1462-1472
Wright, M., Roper, S., Hart, M. and Carter, S. (2015) "Joining the dots : building the evidence base for SME growth policy", International Small Business Journal, 33, 1, 3-11
Love, J. H. and Roper, S. (2015) "SME innovation, exporting and growth : a review of existing evidence", International Small Business Journal, 33, 1, 28-48
Love, J. H., Roper, S. and Vahter, P. (2014) "Learning from openness : the dynamics of breadth in external innovation linkages", Strategic Management Journal, Volume 35, Number 11, 1703-1716
Love, J. H., Roper, S. and Vahter, P. (2014) "Dynamic complementarities in innovation strategies", Research Policy, 43, 10, 1774-1784
Lucena Pimentel, A. E. and Roper, S. (2014) "Absorptive capacity and ambidexterity in R&D : linking tech-alliance diversity and firm innovation", Academy of Management Proceedings, 2014, 1, 13991-13991
Mole, K., Hart, M. and Roper, S. (2014) "When moving information online diminishes change : advisory services to SMEs", Policy Studies , 35, 2, 172-191
Roper, S. and Hewitt-Dundas, N. (2013) "Catalysing open innovation through publicly-funded R&D : a comparison of university and company-based research centres", International Small Business Journal, Volume 31, Number 3, 275-295
Roper, S., Vahter, P. and Love, J. H. (2013) "Externalities of openness in innovation", Research Policy, Volume 42, Number 9, 1544-1554
Sena, V., Scott, J. and Roper, S. (2012) "Gender, borrowing patterns and self-employment : some evidence for England", Small Business Economics, Vol.38, No.4, 467-480
Roper, S. and Arvanitis, S. (2012) "From knowledge to added value : a comparative, panel-data analysis of the innovation value chain in Irish and Swiss manufacturing firms", Research Policy, Vol.41, No.6, 1093-1106
Bourke, D. and Roper, S. (2012) "In with the new : the determinants of prescribing innovation by general practitioners in Ireland", The European Journal of Health Economics, Volume 13, Number 4, 393-407
Hewitt-Dundas, N. and Roper, S. (2011) "Creating advantage in peripheral regions : the role of publicly funded R&D centres", Research Policy, Vol.40, No.6, 832-841
Mole, K., Hart, M., Roper, S. and Saal, D. S. (2011) "Broader or deeper? : exploring the most effective intervention profile for public small business support", Environment and Planning A, Vol.43, No.1, 87-105
Love, J. H., Roper, S. and Bryson, J. R. (2011) "Openness, knowledge, innovation and growth in UK business services", Research Policy, Volume 40, Number 10, 1438-1452
Hewitt-Dundas, N. and Roper, S. (2010) "Output additionality of public support for innovation: evidence for Irish manufacturing plants", European Planning Studies, Vol.18, No.1 Sp. Iss. SI, 107-122
Woerter, M. and Roper, S. (2010) "Openness and innovation-home and export demand effects on manufacturing innovation: panel data evidence for Ireland and Switzerland", Research Policy, Vol.39, No.1, 155-164
Roper, S., Youtie, J., Shapira, P. and Fernandez-Ribas, A. (2010) "Knowledge, capabilities and manufacturing innovation: a USA-Europe comparison", Regional Studies, Vol.44, No.3, 253-279
Love, J. H., Roper, S. and Hewitt-Dundas, N. (2010) "Service innovation, embeddedness and business performance : evidence from Northern Ireland", Regional Studies, Volume 44, Number 8, 983-1004
Mole, K., Hart, M., Roper, S. and Saal, D. S. (2009) "Assessing the effectiveness of business support services in England. Evidence from a theory-based evaluation", International Small Business Journal, Vol.27, No.5, 557-582
Roper, S. and Scott, J. M. (2009) "Perceived financial barriers and the start-up decision: an econometric analysis of gender differences using GEM data", International Small Business Journal, Vol.27, No.2, 149-171
Xia, T. and Roper, S. (2009) "Worlds Apart? A Comparison of the New Product Development Strategies of Biopharmaceutical Firms in Europe and the USA", Industry & Innovation, Vol.16, No.6, 593-612
Love, J. H., Roper, S. and Du, J. (2009) "Innovation, ownership and profitability", International Journal of Industrial Organization, Volume 27, Number 3, 424-434
Love, J. H. and Roper, S. (2009) "Organizing innovation : complementarities between cross-functional teams", Technovation, Volume 29, Number 3, 192-203
Love, J. H. and Roper, S. (2009) "Organizing the innovation process : complementarities in innovation networking", Industry and Innovation, Volume 16, Number 3, 273-290
Young, B. M., Hewitt-Dundas, N. and Roper, S. (2008) "Intellectual property management in publicly funded R&D centres - A comparison of university-based and company-based research centres", Technovation, Volume 28, Number 8, 473-484
Mole, K., Hart, M., Roper, S. and Saal, D. (2008) "Differential gains from Business Link support and advice : a treatment effects approach", Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy, Volume 26, Number 2, 315-334
Roper, S. and Hewitt-Dundas, N. (2008) "Innovation persistence : survey and case-study evidence", Research Policy, Vol.37, No.1, 149-162
Martin, L. M., Warren-Smith, I., Scott, J. M. and Roper, S. (2008) "Boards of directors and gender diversity in UK companies", Gender in Management: An International Journal, Vol.23, No.3, 194-208
Hewitt-Dundas, N., Roper, S. and Love, J. H. (2008) "Higher Education research and development and knowledge transfer in Northern Ireland", Labour Market Bulletin, Volume 21, 127-132
Hewitt-Dundas, N. and Roper, S. (2008) "Ireland's Innovation Performance: 1991 to 2005", Quarterly Economic Commentary, Special Article, No.2 (Summer), 46-68
Roper, S., Du, J. and Love, J. H. (2008) "Modelling the innovation value chain", Research Policy, Volume 37, Numbers 6-7, 961-977
Du, J., Love, J. H. and Roper, S. (2007) "The innovation decision : an economic analysis", Technovation, Volume 27, Number 12, 766-773
Roper, S., Love, J. H. and Hígon, D. A. (2006) "The determinants of export performance : evidence for manufacturing plants in Ireland and Northern Ireland", Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Volume 53, Number 5, 586-615
Roper, S. and Love, J. H. (2006) "Innovation and regional absorptive capacity : the labour market dimension", The Annals of Regional Science, Volume 40, Number 2, 437-447
Love, J. H. and Roper, S. (2005) "Outsourcing in the innovation process : locational and strategic determinants", Papers in Regional Science , Volume 80, Number 3, 317-336
Love, J. H. and Roper, S. (2004) "The organisation of innovation : collaboration, co-operation and multifunctional groups in UK and German manufacturing", Cambridge Journal of Economics, Volume 28, Number 3, 379-395
Roper, S., Hewitt-Dundas, N. and Love, J. H. (2004) "An ex ante evaluation framework for the regional benefits of publicly supported R&D projects", Research Policy, Volume 33, Number 3, 487-509
Love, J. H. and Roper, S. (2002) "Internal versus external R&D : a study of R&D choice with sample selection", International Journal of the Economics of Business, Volume 9, Number 2, 239-255
Roper, S. and Love, J. H. (2002) "Innovation and export performance : evidence from the UK and German manufacturing plants", Research Policy, Volume 31, Number 7, 1087-1102
Love, J. H. and Roper, S. (2001) "Location and network effects on innovation success : evidence for UK, German and Irish manufacturing plants", Research Policy, Volume 30, Number 4, 643-661
Roper, S., Love, J. H., Ashcroft, B. and Dunlop, S. (2000) "Industry and location effects on UK plants' innovation propensity", The Annals of Regional Science, Volume 34, Number 4, 489-502
Love, J. H. and Roper, S. (1999) "The determinants of innovation : R&D, technology transfer and networking effects", Review of Industrial Organization, Volume 15, Number 1, 43-64
Roper, S. and Thanki, R. (1995) "Research and technological development in Northern Ireland", Local Economy, 9, 4, 368-374
Stephen Roper (1995) "Manufacturing productivity in Northern Ireland : a re-examination ", The Economic and Social Review, 26, 3, 307-314
Roper, S. and Thanki, R. (1995) "Innovation 2000 : an ex ante assessment of Northern Ireland's research and development stategy", Regional Studies, 29, 1, 81-86
Roper, S. and O'Shea, G. (1991) "The Effect of Labour Subsidies in Northern Ireland : 1966-79 ", Scottish Journal of Political Economy, 38, 3, 273-292
Stephen Roper (1990) "Price-quantity interactions in the market for new housing in Northern Ireland", Papers of the Regional Science Association, 69, 1, 133-152
Stephen Roper (1989) "The Economics of Job Vacancies ", British Review of Economic Issues, 11, 49-74
Roper, S. and Maguire, M. (1989) "Training policy in Northern Ireland : 1945 1987 ", Administration, 37, 3, 51-64
Stephen Roper (1988) "Recruitment Methods and Vacancy Duration ", Scottish Journal of Political Economy, 35, 1, 51-64

Journal Items

Xia, T. and Roper, S. (2009) "Worlds apart? A comparison of the new product development strategies of biopharmaceutical firms in Europe and the USA", Industry and Innovation, Vol.16, No.6, 593-612
Xia, T. and Roper, S. (2008) "From capability to connectivity - Absorptive capacity and exploratory alliances in biopharmaceutical firms : A US-Europe comparison", Technovation, Volume 28, Number 11, 776-785

Book Review

Stephen Roper (2011) "Review of SMEs in a globalised world : survival and growth strategies on Europe's geographical periphery, edited by Lenihan, H., Andreosso-O'Callaghan, B. and Hart, M.", Economic Geography, Vol.87, No.3, 367-368

Book Items

Mole, K. and Roper, S. (2012) "The rational choice approach to entrepreneurship", Part I: Micro Perspectives, Chapter 4, Palgrave Macmillan Ltd., Basingstoke, Hampshire
Grimes, S. and Roper, S. (2009) "Knowledge based competition: implications for sustainable development in rural Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland", Part III: Information Technology, Tourism and Sustainability, Chapter 11, 207-218, Ashgate, Farnham; Burlington
O'Malley, E., Hewitt-Dundas, N. and Roper, S. (2008) "High growth and innovation with low R&D: Ireland ", Chapter 5, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, UK
Love, J. H. and Roper, S. (2007) "Innovation, productivity and growth : an analysis of Irish data", 31-45, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham
Roper, S., Hewitt-Dundas, N. and Love, J. H. (2003) "Research and development centres in less favoured regions : towards an ex ante impact assessment", The Liffey Press, Dublin