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The Roots of Agricultural Innovation: Patent Evidence of Knowledge Spillovers

In: Economics of Research and Innovation in Agriculture

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  • Matthew Clancy
  • Paul Heisey
  • Yongjie Ji
  • GianCarlo Moschini

Abstract

This chapter investigates the extent to which agricultural innovations draw on ideas originating outside of agriculture. We identify a large set of US patents for agricultural technologies granted between 1976 and 2018. To measure knowledge spillovers to these patents, we rely on three proxies: patent citations to other patents, patent citations to the scientific literature, and a novel text analysis to identify and track new ideas in the patent text. We find that more than half of knowledge flows originate outside of agriculture. The majority of these knowledge inflows, however, still originate in domains that are close to agriculture.
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Suggested Citation

  • Matthew Clancy & Paul Heisey & Yongjie Ji & GianCarlo Moschini, 2020. "The Roots of Agricultural Innovation: Patent Evidence of Knowledge Spillovers," NBER Chapters, in: Economics of Research and Innovation in Agriculture, pages 21-75, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberch:14295
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Julian M. Alston & Philip G. Pardey, 2020. "Innovation, Growth, and Structural Change in American Agriculture," NBER Chapters, in: The Role of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Economic Growth, pages 123-165, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Coronese, Matteo & Occelli, Martina & Lamperti, Francesco & Roventini, Andrea, 2023. "AgriLOVE: Agriculture, land-use and technical change in an evolutionary, agent-based model," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 208(C).
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
    • O34 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Intellectual Property and Intellectual Capital
    • Q16 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - R&D; Agricultural Technology; Biofuels; Agricultural Extension Services

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