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The impact of institutions on innovation

Author

Listed:
  • Alexander Donges

    (University of Mannheim)

  • Jean Marie Meier

    (University of Texas at Dallas)

  • Rui Silva

    (London Business School)

Abstract

"We study the impact of inclusive institutions on innovation using novel, hand- collected, county-level data for Imperial Germany. We use the timing and geography of the French occupation of different German regions after the French Revolution as an instrument for institutional quality. We find that the number of patents per capita was more than twice as high in counties with the longest occupation as in unoccupied counties. The impact of institutions on innovation is amplified in counties with a devel- oped banking sector, suggesting that financial development and inclusive institutions are complements in the production of innovation."

Suggested Citation

  • Alexander Donges & Jean Marie Meier & Rui Silva, 2017. "The impact of institutions on innovation," Working Papers 17023, Economic History Society.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehs:wpaper:17023
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    Cited by:

    1. is not listed on IDEAS
    2. De Bruyn, Gianni & Freed, Paul G., 2025. "Workforce sleep and corporate innovation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 54(3).
    3. Hong Xu & Kai Lin & Hui Wang & Weifen Lin & Longzheng Du, 2025. "Does local green governance promote corporate green innovation? A new perspective from green officials," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 68(4), pages 1861-1892, April.
    4. Hong Jiang & Weiting Xiong, 2024. "The Impact of Land-Use Mix on Technological Innovation: Evidence from a Grid-Cell-Level Analysis of Shanghai, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-17, April.
    5. Palmisano, Flaviana & Sacchi, Agnese, 2024. "Trust in public institutions, inequality, and digital interaction: Empirical evidence from European Union countries," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    6. Daniel Gallardo‐Albarrán, 2020. "Sanitary infrastructures and the decline of mortality in Germany, 1877–1913," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 73(3), pages 730-757, August.
    7. Baghai, Ramin & Silva, Rui & Ye, Luofu, 2018. "Teams and Bankruptcy," CEPR Discussion Papers 13198, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    8. Donges, Alexander & Selgert, Felix, 2019. "The Consequences of Radical Patent-Regime Change," VfS Annual Conference 2019 (Leipzig): 30 Years after the Fall of the Berlin Wall - Democracy and Market Economy 203662, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    9. Michel Serafinelli & Guido Tabellini, 2022. "Creativity over time and space," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 27(1), pages 1-43, March.
    10. An, Jiafu & Chen, Boyang & Zhao, Ruoran, 2025. "Epidemic disease and innovation," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 231(C).
    11. Michael Fritsch & Martin Obschonka & Fabian Wahl & Michael Wyrwich, 2021. "Cultural Imprinting: Ancient Origins of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Germany," Jena Economics Research Papers 2021-012, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena.
    12. Lehmann-Hasemeyer, Sibylle H. & Streb, Jochen, 2018. "Discrimination against Foreigners. The Wuerttemberg Patent Law in Administrative Practice," Working Papers 7, German Research Foundation's Priority Programme 1859 "Experience and Expectation. Historical Foundations of Economic Behaviour", Humboldt University Berlin.
    13. Fritsch, Michael & Obschonka, Martin & Wahl, Fabian & Wyrwich, Michael, 2020. "The deep imprint of Roman sandals: Evidence of long-lasting effects of Roman rule on personality, economic performance, and well-being in Germany," Hohenheim Discussion Papers in Business, Economics and Social Sciences 05-2020, University of Hohenheim, Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences.
    14. Leonard DUDLEY & Christopher RAUH, 2018. "Innovation Growth Clusters : Lessons from the Industrial Revolution," Cahiers de recherche 19-2018, Centre interuniversitaire de recherche en économie quantitative, CIREQ.
    15. Gan Jin & Günther G. Schulze, 2024. "The Long-term Effect of Western Customs Institution on Firm Innovation in China," Discussion Paper Series 46 JEL Classification: N7, Department of International Economic Policy, University of Freiburg, revised Feb 2024.
    16. Chiu, Ya-Ling & Luo, Jinbo & Boscaljon, Brian L., 2024. "The Mist of corporate innovation," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 93(PB), pages 602-624.
    17. Kyriaki I. Kafka & Pantelis C. Kostis & Panagiotis E. Petrakis, 2022. "Institutional Effects on Innovation and the Requirements for Structural Reforms," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 13(1), pages 211-235, March.
    18. Shanshan Wang & Hongyan Zhou & Tianyi Zhao, 2024. "Configuration paths to high-value patents: evidence from patents winning the China Patent Awards," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 129(5), pages 2633-2658, May.
    19. Danta, Subal & Rath, Badri Narayan, 2024. "Do institutional quality and human capital matter for innovation in case of Asian region?," Innovation and Green Development, Elsevier, vol. 3(3).
    20. Zhang, Min & Rodríguez-Pose, Andrés, 2024. "Government reform and innovation performance in China," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 122728, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    21. Hussinger, Katrin & Palladini, Lorenzo, 2025. "Do China's special economic zones increase incentives to invest in R&D?," ZEW Discussion Papers 25-028, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    22. Billington, Stephen D. & Colvin, Christopher L. & Coyle, Christopher, 2025. "Financing innovation: The role of patent examination," QUCEH Working Paper Series 25-01, Queen's University Belfast, Queen's University Centre for Economic History.
    23. Alvina Sabah Idrees & Saima Sarwar, 2021. "State effectiveness, property rights and entrepreneurial behaviour as determinants of National Innovation," Australian Economic Papers, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(3), pages 392-423, September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • G38 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
    • O43 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Institutions and Growth
    • N13 - Economic History - - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Industrial Structure; Growth; Fluctuations - - - Europe: Pre-1913
    • K40 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - General

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