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Determinants of patent quality in U.S. manufacturing: technological diversity, appropriability, and firm size

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  • Burak Dindaroğlu

    (Yali Mah.)

Abstract

We study the determinants of patent quality for a panel of U.S. manufacturing firms, focusing mainly on the effects of firm-level technological diversity and appropriability conditions. Technological diversity increases the quality-adjusted patent count on most of the diversity distribution, but its relationship with average patent quality is an inverted-U. We find that appropriability conditions (proxied by the rate of self-citations at the firm level) have similar, non-linear effects on both the average quality of patents, and quality-adjusted patents per R&D, which is consistent with an inverted-U pattern. Firm size has no effect on the average quality of patented innovation at the firm level. Finally, as R&D intensity increases, the rate of corporate innovation falls, but its average quality increases, indicating a quality–quantity trade-off in R&D.

Suggested Citation

  • Burak Dindaroğlu, 2018. "Determinants of patent quality in U.S. manufacturing: technological diversity, appropriability, and firm size," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 43(4), pages 1083-1106, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jtecht:v:43:y:2018:i:4:d:10.1007_s10961-017-9587-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s10961-017-9587-7
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Innovation quality; Technological diversity; Appropriability; Firm size; Patents; Citations;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L25 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Performance
    • O30 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - General
    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
    • O32 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Management of Technological Innovation and R&D
    • O34 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Intellectual Property and Intellectual Capital

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