IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/cir/cirwor/2025s-08.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Dynamic Patent Races with Absorptive Capacity: An Experimental Investigation on R&D Behavior

Author

Listed:
  • Sinda Kassab
  • Huan Xie

Abstract

We report a laboratory experiment on dynamic patent races in an indefinite horizon with complete information. In a competitive environment, we analyze the R&D investment behavior of players who are randomly and anonymously paired in each race. We vary subjects’ initial positions as leader/follower or symmetric/asymmetric, as well as the distance between the initial knowledge stock and the target. Our results show that individual average effort is highest for players in a tie position, followed by leaders, and lowest for followers. Starting as a follower (leader) leads to a lower (higher) chance of winning the race. Spillovers realized in the previous round significantly increase players’ investment in the current round. Convergence toward equilibrium play becomes more pronounced in the second half of the sessions. Efficiency loss is significantly higher in races starting from a symmetric position than from an asymmetric position and is also significantly higher in the low treatment than in the high treatment. Nous présentons une expérience de laboratoire sur les courses aux brevets dynamiques dans un horizon indéfini avec une information complète. Dans un environnement concurrentiel, nous analysons le comportement d'investissement en R&D des joueurs qui sont appariés de manière aléatoire et anonyme dans chaque course. Nous faisons varier les positions initiales des sujets (leader/suiveur ou symétrique/asymétrique), ainsi que la distance entre le niveau de connaissance initial et la cible. Nos résultats montrent que l'effort individuel moyen est le plus élevé pour les joueurs en position d'égalité, suivis par les leaders, et le plus faible pour les suiveurs. Commencer en tant que suiveur (leader) conduit à une chance plus faible (plus élevée) de gagner la course. Les retombées réalisées lors du tour précédent augmentent de manière significative l'investissement des joueurs dans le tour en cours. La convergence vers le jeu d'équilibre devient plus prononcée dans la seconde moitié des sessions. La perte d'efficacité est significativement plus élevée dans les courses commençant à partir d'une position symétrique qu'à partir d'une position asymétrique et est également plus élevée dans le traitement faible que dans le traitement élevé.

Suggested Citation

  • Sinda Kassab & Huan Xie, 2025. "Dynamic Patent Races with Absorptive Capacity: An Experimental Investigation on R&D Behavior," CIRANO Working Papers 2025s-08, CIRANO.
    • Handle: RePEc:cir:cirwor:2025s-08
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://cirano.qc.ca/files/publications/2025s-08.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Christine Halmenschlager, 2006. "Spillovers And Absorptive Capacity In A Patent Race," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 74(1), pages 85-102, January.
    2. Leahy, Dermot & Neary, J. Peter, 2007. "Absorptive capacity, R&D spillovers, and public policy," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 25(5), pages 1089-1108, October.
    3. Ben Greiner, 2015. "Subject pool recruitment procedures: organizing experiments with ORSEE," Journal of the Economic Science Association, Springer;Economic Science Association, vol. 1(1), pages 114-125, July.
    4. Reinganum, Jennifer F., 1981. "Dynamic games of innovation," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 25(1), pages 21-41, August.
    5. Sheremeta, Roman M., 2010. "Experimental comparison of multi-stage and one-stage contests," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 68(2), pages 731-747, March.
    6. Doraszelski, Ulrich, 2003. "An R&D Race with Knowledge Accumulation," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 34(1), pages 20-42, Spring.
    7. Philippe Aghion & Stefan Bechtold & Lea Cassar & Holger Herz, 2018. "The Causal Effects of Competition on Innovation: Experimental Evidence," The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, Oxford University Press, vol. 34(2), pages 162-195.
    8. Emmanuel Dechenaux & Dan Kovenock & Roman Sheremeta, 2015. "A survey of experimental research on contests, all-pay auctions and tournaments," Experimental Economics, Springer;Economic Science Association, vol. 18(4), pages 609-669, December.
    9. Glenn C. Loury, 1979. "Market Structure and Innovation," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 93(3), pages 395-410.
    10. Aoki, Reiko, 1991. "R&D Competition for Product Innovation: An Endless Race," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 81(2), pages 252-256, May.
    11. Klaus Abbink & Jordi Brandts & Benedikt Herrmann & Henrik Orzen, 2010. "Intergroup Conflict and Intra-group Punishment in an Experimental Contest Game," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 100(1), pages 420-447, March.
    12. Reinganum, Jennifer F, 1984. "Practical Implications of Game Theoretic Models of R&D," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 74(2), pages 61-66, May.
    13. Cohen, Wesley M & Levinthal, Daniel A, 1989. "Innovation and Learning: The Two Faces of R&D," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 99(397), pages 569-596, September.
    14. Johannes Hörner, 2004. "A Perpetual Race to Stay Ahead," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 71(4), pages 1065-1088.
    15. Dasgupta, Partha & Stiglitz, Joseph, 1980. "Industrial Structure and the Nature of Innovative Activity," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 90(358), pages 266-293, June.
    16. Christopher Harris & John Vickers, 1987. "Racing with Uncertainty," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 54(1), pages 1-21.
    17. Julia Brüggemann & Kilian Bizer, 2016. "Laboratory experiments in innovation research: a methodological overview and a review of the current literature," Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 5(1), pages 1-13, December.
    18. Tom Lee & Louis L. Wilde, 1980. "Market Structure and Innovation: A Reformulation," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 94(2), pages 429-436.
    19. Christopher Harris & John Vickers, 1985. "Perfect Equilibrium in a Model of a Race," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 52(2), pages 193-209.
    20. Kamien,Morton I. & Schwartz,Nancy L., 1982. "Market Structure and Innovation," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521293853, December.
    21. Fudenberg, Drew & Gilbert, Richard & Stiglitz, Joseph & Tirole, Jean, 1983. "Preemption, leapfrogging and competition in patent races," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 3-31, June.
    22. Damiano Silipo, 2005. "The Evolution of Cooperation in Patent Races:Theory and Experimental Evidence," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 85(1), pages 1-38, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. By Kenneth L. Judd & Karl Schmedders & Şevin Yeltekin, 2012. "Optimal Rules For Patent Races," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 53(1), pages 23-52, February.
    2. Richard Gilbert, 2006. "Looking for Mr. Schumpeter: Where Are We in the Competition-Innovation Debate?," NBER Chapters, in: Innovation Policy and the Economy, Volume 6, pages 159-215, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Emmanuel Dechenaux & Dan Kovenock & Roman Sheremeta, 2015. "A survey of experimental research on contests, all-pay auctions and tournaments," Experimental Economics, Springer;Economic Science Association, vol. 18(4), pages 609-669, December.
    4. Hélène Halmenschlager, 2004. "Les externalités de diffusion du savoir-faire permettent-elles de rattraper le retard dans les courses à l'innovation ?," Recherches économiques de Louvain, De Boeck Université, vol. 70(3), pages 341-361.
    5. Shakun D. Mago & Roman M. Sheremeta, 2017. "Multi‐battle Contests: An Experimental Study," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 84(2), pages 407-425, October.
    6. Benjamin Rene Kern & Juan Manuel Mantilla Contreras, 2014. "Mergers and the Incentives to Undertake Product Innovation Oriented R&D: First Steps Towards an Assessment Approach," MAGKS Papers on Economics 201417, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Department of Economics (Volkswirtschaftliche Abteilung).
    7. Nguyen, Thang, 2004. "Technological Progress in Races for Product Supremacy," MPRA Paper 235, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 18 Jul 2006.
    8. Pelin G. Canbolat & Boaz Golany & Inbal Mund & Uriel G. Rothblum, 2012. "A Stochastic Competitive R&D Race Where “Winner Takes All”," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 60(3), pages 700-715, June.
    9. Shirish D. Chikte & Sudhakar D. Deshmukh, 1993. "To be The First or to be The Best: New Product Quality and Timing in R&D Competition," Discussion Papers 1056, Northwestern University, Center for Mathematical Studies in Economics and Management Science.
    10. Fouad Ouardighi & Matan Shnaiderman & Federico Pasin, 2014. "Research and Development with Stock-Dependent Spillovers and Price Competition in a Duopoly," Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications, Springer, vol. 161(2), pages 626-647, May.
    11. Meng, Rujing, 2008. "A patent race in a real options setting: Investment strategy, valuation, CAPM beta, and return volatility," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 32(10), pages 3192-3217, October.
    12. Francesco Fallucchi & Jan Niederreiter & Massimo Riccaboni, 2021. "Learning and dropout in contests: an experimental approach," Theory and Decision, Springer, vol. 90(2), pages 245-278, March.
    13. Deck, Cary & Sheremeta, Roman M., 2019. "The tug-of-war in the laboratory," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    14. Llorente-Saguer, Aniol & Sheremeta, Roman M. & Szech, Nora, 2023. "Designing contests between heterogeneous contestants: An experimental study of tie-breaks and bid-caps in all-pay auctions," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    15. Domenico Campisi & Paolo Mancuso & Alberto Nastasi, 2001. "R&D competition, absorptive capacity, and market shares," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 73(1), pages 57-80, February.
    16. Ronald Goettler & Brett Gordon, 2014. "Competition and product innovation in dynamic oligopoly," Quantitative Marketing and Economics (QME), Springer, vol. 12(1), pages 1-42, March.
    17. Uwe Cantner & Werner Güth & Andreas Nicklisch & Torsten Weiland, 2009. "Competition In Product Design: An Experiment Exploring Innovation Behavior," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(4), pages 724-752, November.
    18. Gilbert Richard J, 2006. "Competition and Innovation," Journal of Industrial Organization Education, De Gruyter, vol. 1(1), pages 1-23, December.
    19. Levin, Mark (Левин, Марк) & Matrosova, Kseniya (Матросова, Ксения), 2017. "Development and Analysis of Economic Models of Innovation Incentives [Разработка И Исследование Экономических Моделей Стимулирования Инновационных Процессов]," Working Papers 061713, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration.
    20. Cason, Timothy N. & Masters, William A. & Sheremeta, Roman M., 2020. "Winner-take-all and proportional-prize contests: Theory and experimental results," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 175(C), pages 314-327.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Patent race; absorptive capacity; knowledge accumulation; efficiency loss; experimental investigation; Course aux brevets; capacité d'absorption; accumulation de connaissances; perte d'efficacité; enquête expérimentale;
    All these keywords.

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:cir:cirwor:2025s-08. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Webmaster (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/ciranca.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.