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What explains the quantity and quality of local inventive activity?

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  • Gerald A. Carlino
  • Robert M. Hunt

Abstract

The authors geocode a data set of patents and their citation counts, including citations from abroad. This allows them to examine both the quantity and quality of local inventions. They also refine their data on local academic R&D to explore effects from different fields of science and sources of R&D funding. Finally, they incorporate data on congressional earmarks of funds for academic R&D. ; With one important exception, results using citation-weighted patents are similar to those using unweighted patents. For example, estimates of the returns to density (jobs per square mile) are only slightly changed when using citation-weighted patents as the dependent variable. But estimates of returns to city size (urbanization effects) are quite sensitive to the choice of dependent variable. ; Local human capital is the most important determinant of per capita rates of patenting. A 1 percent increase in the adult population with a college degree increases the local patenting rate by about 1 percent. ; With few exceptions, there is little variation across fields of science in the contribution of academic R&D to patenting rates. The exceptions are computer and life sciences, where the effects are smaller. There is greater variation in the contribution of R&D funded by different sources-academic R&D funded by the federal government generates smaller increases in patenting rates than R&D funded by the university itself. This effect is somewhat stronger for federally funded applied R&D than for basic R&D. The authors also find small negative effects for cities with greater exposure to academic R&D allocated by congressional earmarks. ; They discuss the implications of these results for policy and future research.

Suggested Citation

  • Gerald A. Carlino & Robert M. Hunt, 2009. "What explains the quantity and quality of local inventive activity?," Working Papers 09-12, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.
  • Handle: RePEc:fip:fedpwp:09-12
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    1. Nivedita Mukherji & Jonathan Silberman, 2013. "Absorptive Capacity, Knowledge Flows, And Innovation In U.S. Metropolitan Areas," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(3), pages 392-417, August.
    2. Carlino, Gerald & Kerr, William R., 2015. "Agglomeration and Innovation," Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, in: Gilles Duranton & J. V. Henderson & William C. Strange (ed.), Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, edition 1, volume 5, chapter 0, pages 349-404, Elsevier.
    3. Carlino, Gerald & Kerr, William R., 2015. "Agglomeration and Innovation," Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, in: Gilles Duranton & J. V. Henderson & William C. Strange (ed.), Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, edition 1, volume 5, chapter 0, pages 349-404, Elsevier.
    4. Subhra Saha & Joseph Staudt & Bruce Weinbergx, 2017. "Estimating the Local Productivity Spillovers from Science," Working Papers 17-56, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
    5. Gerald A. Carlino & Jake Carr & Robert M. Hunt & Tony E. Smith, 2010. "The agglomeration of R&D labs," Working Papers 10-33, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.
    6. Shahid Yusuf, 2012. "From Technological Catch-up to Innovation : The Future of China’s GDP Growth," World Bank Publications - Reports 12781, The World Bank Group.
    7. Gilles Duranton, 2015. "Growing through Cities in Developing Countries," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 30(1), pages 39-73.
    8. repec:bof:bofrdp:urn:nbn:fi:bof-201512111472 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Laura Crispin & Subhra B. Saha & Bruce A. Weinberg, 2010. "Innovation spillovers in industrial cities," Working Papers (Old Series) 1025, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.
    10. Rodríguez-Pose, Andrés & Crescenzi, Riccardo, 2012. "R&D, Socio-Economic Conditions and Regional Innovation in the United States," CEPR Discussion Papers 9265, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    11. Riccardo Crescenzi & Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, 2013. "R&D, Socio-Economic Conditions, and Regional Innovation in the U.S," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(2), pages 287-320, June.
    12. Raj Nallari & Breda Griffith & Shahid Yusuf, 2012. "Geography of Growth : Spatial Economics and Competitiveness," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 6020.
    13. John V. Winters, 2017. "Do Native STEM Graduates Increase Innovation? Evidence from U.S. Metropolitan Areas," Economics Working Paper Series 1714, Oklahoma State University, Department of Economics and Legal Studies in Business.
    14. Calvo, Nuria & Fernández-López, Sara & Rodríguez-Gulías, María Jesús & Rodeiro-Pazos, David, 2022. "The effect of population size and technological collaboration on firms' innovation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
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