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Patents and Innovation in Economic History

Author

Listed:
  • Petra Moser

    (Stern School of Business, New York University, New York, NY 10012)

Abstract

A strong tradition in economic history, which relies primarily on qualitative evidence and statistical correlations, has emphasized the importance of patents as a primary driver of innovation. Recent improvements in empirical methodology—through the creation of new datasets and advances in identification—have produced research that challenges this traditional view. The findings of this literature provide a more nuanced view of the effects of intellectual property and suggest that when patent rights have been too broad or too strong, they have actually discouraged innovation. This review summarizes the major results from this research and presents open questions.

Suggested Citation

  • Petra Moser, 2016. "Patents and Innovation in Economic History," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 8(1), pages 241-258, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:anr:reveco:v:8:y:2016:p:241-258
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    File URL: http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-economics-080315-015136
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Francesco Cinnirella & Jochen Streb, 2017. "Religious Tolerance as Engine of Innovation," CESifo Working Paper Series 6797, CESifo.
    2. Morikawa, Masayuki, 2019. "Innovation in the service sector and the role of patents and trade secrets: Evidence from Japanese firms," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 43-51.
    3. Nuvolari, Alessandro & Tortorici, Gaspare & Vasta, Michelangelo, 2023. "British-French Technology Transfer from the Revolution to Louis Philippe (1791–1844): Evidence from Patent Data," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 83(3), pages 833-873, September.
    4. David Autor & David Dorn & Gordon H. Hanson & Gary Pisano & Pian Shu, 2020. "Foreign Competition and Domestic Innovation: Evidence from US Patents," American Economic Review: Insights, American Economic Association, vol. 2(3), pages 357-374, September.
    5. Aneeq Sarwar, 2022. "The Battle Over Patents: History and Politics of Innovation," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 98(322), pages 327-330, September.
    6. Sylvia Novillo-Villegas & Ricardo Ayala-Andrade & Juan Pablo Lopez-Cox & Javier Salazar-Oyaneder & Patricia Acosta-Vargas, 2022. "A Roadmap for Innovation Capacity in Developing Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-20, May.
    7. Andrews, Michael J. & Whalley, Alexander, 2022. "150 years of the geography of innovation," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    8. Yang Liu & Yaojun Fan & Yifan Wang & Jiayu Huang & Hu Xun, 2024. "City innovation ability and internet infrastructure development: Evidence from the “Broadband China” policy," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 76(1), pages 121-146, January.
    9. Armin Mertens & Marc Scheufen, 2024. "Intellectual property and fourth industrial revolution technologies: how the patent system is shaping the future in the data-driven economy," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 57(1), pages 275-310, April.
    10. Caliendo, Marco & Künn, Steffen & Weissenberger, Martin, 2020. "Catching up or lagging behind? The long-term business and innovation potential of subsidized start-ups out of unemployment," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(10).
    11. Othmani, Abdelhafidh & Ben Yedder, Nadia & Bakari, Sayef, 2023. "The Cointegration Relationship between Patent, Domestic Investment and Economic Growth in United States of America," MPRA Paper 118245, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Heman Khouilla & Cécile Bastidon, 2024. "Does increased intellectual property rights protection foster innovation in developing countries? A literature review of innovation and catch‐up," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 36(2), pages 1170-1188, March.
    13. Boik, John C., 2016. "Optimality of Social Choice Systems: Complexity, Wisdom, and Wellbeing Centrality," OSF Preprints 75jh7, Center for Open Science.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    technical change; intellectual property; patents; science; creativity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O3 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights
    • O34 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Intellectual Property and Intellectual Capital
    • N00 - Economic History - - General - - - General
    • L51 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy - - - Economics of Regulation
    • K00 - Law and Economics - - General - - - General (including Data Sources and Description)

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