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Academic freedom and innovation

Author

Listed:
  • David B Audretsch
  • Christian Fisch
  • Chiara Franzoni
  • Paul P Momtaz
  • Silvio Vismara

Abstract

Academic freedom is a critical norm of science. Despite the widely postulated importance of academic freedom, the literature attests to a dearth of research on the topic. Specifically, we know little about how academic freedom relates to indicators of societal progress, such as innovation. We address this research gap by empirically assessing the impact of academic freedom on the quantity (patent applications) and quality (patent citations) of innovation output using a comprehensive sample of 157 countries over the 1900–2015 period. We find that improving academic freedom by one standard deviation increases patent applications by 41% and forward citations by 29%. The results are robust across a range of different specifications. Our findings constitute an alarming plea to policymakers: global academic freedom has declined over the past decade for the first time in the last century and our estimates suggest that this decline poses a substantial threat to the innovation output of countries in terms of both quantity and quality.

Suggested Citation

  • David B Audretsch & Christian Fisch & Chiara Franzoni & Paul P Momtaz & Silvio Vismara, 2024. "Academic freedom and innovation," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 19(6), pages 1-23, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0304560
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304560
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Kenneth Arrow, 1962. "Economic Welfare and the Allocation of Resources for Invention," NBER Chapters, in: The Rate and Direction of Inventive Activity: Economic and Social Factors, pages 609-626, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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