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Foreign inventors in Europe and the United States: Diversity and Patent Quality

Author

Listed:
  • E. Ferrucci
  • Francesco Lissoni

    (GREThA - Groupe de Recherche en Economie Théorique et Appliquée - UB - Université de Bordeaux - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

We explore the impact of migrant inventors on patent quality in Europe and the United States between 1990 and 2010. Drawing on a large sample of patent applications filed at the European Patent Office with a corresponding Patent Cooperation Treaty extension, we select inventor teams whose members reside in the countries of interest, but whose nationality may vary. In keeping with the literature, we find that migrant inventors are associated with higher quality patents via increased diversity at the team level, in addition to increased diversity at both the company and local level. This positive relationship with diversity persists after conditioning for the presence of migrants in the team, which is suggestive of cultural, and not merely functional, diversity.

Suggested Citation

  • E. Ferrucci & Francesco Lissoni, 2019. "Foreign inventors in Europe and the United States: Diversity and Patent Quality," Post-Print hal-02485499, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-02485499
    DOI: 10.1016/j.respol.2019.03.019
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    Cited by:

    1. repec:osf:socarx:3kycm_v1 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Liu, Weiwei & Tao, Yuan & Bi, Kexin, 2022. "Capturing information on global knowledge flows from patent transfers: An empirical study using USPTO patents," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(5).
    3. Mack, Daniel Z. & Chen, Guoli & Hsu, Po-Hsuan & Lee, Yen Teik & George, Gerard, 2025. "Interfaces, social information processing, and diversity cascades: How board diversity influences invention output," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 54(1).
    4. Wang, Chun-Chieh & Lin, Jia-Tian & Chen, Dar-Zen & Lo, Szu-Chia, 2023. "A New Look at National Diversity of Inventor Teams within Organizations," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 17(1).
    5. Ernest Miguelez & Andrea Morrison, 2023. "Migrant inventors as agents of technological change," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 48(2), pages 669-692, April.
    6. Plantec, Quentin & Cabanes, Benjamin & le Masson, Pascal & Weil, Benoit, 2023. "Early-career academic engagement in university–industry collaborative PhDs: Research orientation and project performance," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(9).
    7. Miguelez, Ernest & Noumedem Temgoua, Claudia, 2020. "Inventor migration and knowledge flows: A two-way communication channel?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(9).
    8. Darova, Ornella & Duchene, Anne, 2024. "Diversity in Teams: Collaboration and Performance in Experiments with Different Tasks," MPRA Paper 121976, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Chung, Jaemin & Ko, Namuk & Kim, Hyeonsu & Yoon, Janghyeok, 2021. "Inventor profile mining approach for prospective human resource scouting," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 15(1).
    10. Choudhury, Prithwiraj, 2022. "Geographic mobility, immobility, and geographic flexibility: a review and agenda for research on the changing geography of work," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 128783, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    11. Xuhong Zhang & Haiqing Hu & Cheng Zhou & Erwei Dong, 2024. "Is a Rural Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Conducive to the Improvement of Entrepreneurial Performance? Evidence from Typical Counties of Rural Entrepreneurship and Innovation in China," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-21, November.
    12. Cristelli, Gabriele & Lissoni, Francesco, 2020. "Free movement of inventors: open-border policy and innovation in Switzerland," MPRA Paper 120099, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised Jan 2024.
    13. SINOI Elena-Alexandra, 2019. "The Nexus Between Migration, Innovation And Economic Development In Eu-28," Annals of Faculty of Economics, University of Oradea, Faculty of Economics, vol. 1(2), pages 423-433, December.
    14. Yayla, Serdar & Kutlubay, Omer Cem & Cicek, Mesut & Yeniyurt, Sengun, 2023. "Once upon a time in a foreign market: The role of cultural distance in the economic performance of multilateral non-equity partnerships," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(4).
    15. Ceren Ozgen, 2021. "The economics of diversity: Innovation, productivity and the labour market," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(4), pages 1168-1216, September.
    16. McCarthy, Killian J & Aalbers, Hendrik Leendert, 2022. "Alliance-to-acquisition transitions: The technological performance implications of acquiring one's alliance partners," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(6).
    17. Sinoi Elena-Alexandra, 2020. "The Effects of Highly-Educated Immigrants on Innovation in Three Developed European Countries," Journal of Social and Economic Statistics, Sciendo, vol. 9(1), pages 65-83, August.
    18. Jinxing Ji & Jieyu Song & Na Liu, 2024. "When and how scientists influence technological performance: A moderated mediation model," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 19(1), pages 1-26, January.
    19. Cristelli, Gabriele & Lissoni, Francesco, 2020. "Free movement of inventors: open-border policy and innovation in Switzerland," MPRA Paper 104120, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    20. Ren, Haiying & Zhao, Yuhui, 2021. "Technology opportunity discovery based on constructing, evaluating, and searching knowledge networks," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    21. Breschi, Stefano & Lawson, Cornelia & Lissoni, Francesco & Morrison, Andrea & Salter, Ammon, 2020. "STEM migration, research, and innovation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(9).
    22. Fontana, Magda & Iori, Martina & Leone Sciabolazza, Valerio & Souza, Daniel, 2022. "The interdisciplinarity dilemma: Public versus private interests," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(7).
    23. Pavel Svačina & Jan Zouhar, 2024. "Ex-ante estimating of additional remuneration for employee inventions: explanatory role of the weighted patent family size indicator," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 14(1), pages 69-101, March.
    24. Andrea Morrison, 2023. "Towards an evolutionary economic geography research agenda to study migration and innovation," Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 16(3), pages 529-542.
    25. Byeongwoo Kang & Kaoru Nabeshima, 2021. "National origin diversity and innovation performance: the case of Japan," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 126(6), pages 5333-5351, June.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • 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

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