The inventor balance and the functional specialization in global inventive activities
Abstract
We study the functional specialization whereby some countries contribute relatively more inventors vs. organizations in the production of inventions at a global scale. We propose a conceptual framework to explain this type of functional specialization, which posits the presence of feedbacks between two distinct sub-systems, each one providing inventors and organizations. We quantify the phenomenon by means of a new metric, the “inventor balance”, which we compute using patent data. We show that the observed imbalances, which are often conspicuous, are determined by several factors: the innovativeness of a country relative to its level of economic development, relative factor endowments, the degree of technological specialization and, last, cultural traits. We argue that the “inventor balance” is a useful indicator for policy makers, and its routine analysis could lead to better informed innovation policies.
Citation
Savorelli , L & Picci , L 2015 ' The inventor balance and the functional specialization in global inventive activities ' School of Economics & Finance Discussion Paper , no. 1502 , University of St Andrews , pp. 1-41 .
Publication
ISSN
0962-4031Type
Working or discussion paper
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