LAUSR

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to compare the effects of equity financing and debt financing on technological innovation, and prove that the enhancement of a financing system’s risk tolerance for technological innovation can enhance the innovation risk preference of enterprises and thus promote innovation. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on a transnational sample of 35 developed countries from 1996 to 2015, by using the panel econometric model to empirically examine the effects of two financing modes on innovation. Findings The findings showed that equity financing, which has higher risk tolerance, has a more positive impact on innovation than debt financing in terms of both economic uptrend and economic downtrend, and that government efficiency plays a significant role in supporting the performance of technological innovation. Originality/value The paper provides a research framework for examining how a financing system’s risk tolerance capacity affects the development of technological innovation through promoting risk preference among enterprises. This paper provides transnational and cross-cycle comparative evidence that equity financing with a strong risk tolerance capacity can better support technological innovation, even in periods of economic downtrend. Moreover, the importance of financing system’s risk tolerance capacity for innovation during economic crises is discussed.