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No inventor is an island: Social connectedness and the geography of knowledge flows in the US

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  • Diemer, Andreas
  • Regan, Tanner

Abstract

Do informal social ties connecting inventors across distant places promote knowledge flows between them? To measure informal ties, we use a new and direct index of social connectedness of regions based on aggregate Facebook friendships. We use a well-established identification strategy that relies on matching inventor citations with citations from examiners. Moreover, we isolate the specific effect of informal connections, above and beyond formal professional ties (co-inventor networks) and geographic proximity. We identify a significant and robust effect of informal ties on patent citations. Further, we find that the effect of geographic proximity on knowledge flows is entirely explained by informal social ties and professional networks. We also show that the effect of informal social ties on knowledge flows is greater for new entrepreneurs or ‘garage inventors’, for older or ‘forgotten’ patents, and for flows across distant technology fields. It has also become increasingly important over the last two decades.

Suggested Citation

  • Diemer, Andreas & Regan, Tanner, 2022. "No inventor is an island: Social connectedness and the geography of knowledge flows in the US," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(2).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:respol:v:51:y:2022:i:2:s0048733321002110
    DOI: 10.1016/j.respol.2021.104416
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    Cited by:

    1. Liu, Weiwei & Tao, Yuan & Bi, Kexin, 2022. "Capturing information on global knowledge flows from patent transfers: An empirical study using USPTO patents," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(5).
    2. Georgios Tsiachtsiras & Deyun Yin & Ernest Miguelez & Rosina Moreno, 2022. "Trains of Thought: High-Speed Rail and Innovation in China," Working Papers hal-03891705, HAL.
    3. Călin Vâlsan & Zizi Goschin & Elena Druică, 2023. "The Measurement of Social Capital in America: A Reassessment," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 165(1), pages 135-161, January.
    4. Ancarani, Alessandro & Ardito, Lorenzo & Di Mauro, Carmela & Petruzzelli, Antonio Messeni, 2024. "Back-shoring vs. Offshoring: The importance of innovating with host-country inventors," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(6).
    5. Despina Gavresi & Anastasia Litina & George Tsiachtsiras, 2022. "Railways and Roadways to Trust," Discussion Paper Series 2022_08, Department of Economics, University of Macedonia, revised Sep 2022.
    6. Abou El-Komboz, Lena & Goldbeck, Moritz, 2024. "Virtually borderless? Cultural proximity and international collaboration of developers," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 244(C).
    7. Tan, Ruipeng & Pan, Lulu, 2024. "How high-speed railway expands beyond local knowledge search in interdisciplinary innovation: Evidence from China," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 143-156.
    8. Varshney, Mayank & Jain, Amit, 2023. "Technology acquisition following inventor exit in the biopharmaceutical industry," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    9. Varshney, Mayank & Jain, Amit, 2023. "Understanding “reverse” knowledge flows following inventor exit in the semiconductor industry," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    10. Dai, Xin & Tang, Jie & Yin, Deyun, 2025. "Science and city: Exploring science's contribution to China's urban technological innovation," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    11. Xinming Du, 2023. "Symptom or Culprit? Social Media, Air Pollution, and Violence," CESifo Working Paper Series 10296, CESifo.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
    • R12 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity; Interregional Trade (economic geography)
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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