IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/hhs/cesisp/0104.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

The knowledge filter, Entrepreneurship and Economic Growth

Author

Listed:
  • Carlsson, Bo

    (Case Western Reserve University)

  • Acs, Zoltan

    (University of Baltimore)

  • Audretsch, David

    (Max-Planck Institute)

  • Braunerhjelm, Pontus

    (CESIS - Centre of Excellence for Science and Innovation Studies, Royal Institute of Technology)

Abstract

This paper explores the relationship between knowledge creation, entrepreneurship, and economic growth in the United States over the last 150 years. According to the “new growth theory,” investments in knowledge and human capital generate economic growth via spillovers of knowledge. But the theory does not explain how or why spillovers occur, or why large investments in R&D do not always result in economic growth. What is missing is “the knowledge filter” - the distinction between general knowledge and economically useful knowledge. Also missing is a mechanism (such as entrepreneurship) converting economically relevant knowledge into economic activity. This paper shows that the unprecedented increase in R&D spending in the United States during and after World War II was converted into economic activity via incumbent firms in the early postwar period and increasingly via new ventures in the last few decades.

Suggested Citation

  • Carlsson, Bo & Acs, Zoltan & Audretsch, David & Braunerhjelm, Pontus, 2007. "The knowledge filter, Entrepreneurship and Economic Growth," Working Paper Series in Economics and Institutions of Innovation 104, Royal Institute of Technology, CESIS - Centre of Excellence for Science and Innovation Studies.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:cesisp:0104
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://static.sys.kth.se/itm/wp/cesis/cesiswp104.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Zoltan Acs & Lawrence Plummer, 2005. "Penetrating the ``knowledge filter'' in regional economies," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 39(3), pages 439-456, September.
    2. Zoltán J. Ács & Pontus Braunerhjelm & David B. Audretsch & Bo Carlsson, 2015. "The knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship," Chapters, in: Global Entrepreneurship, Institutions and Incentives, chapter 7, pages 129-144, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    3. Maddison, Angus, 1987. "Growth and Slowdown in Advanced Capitalist Economies: Techniques of Quantitative Assessment," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 25(2), pages 649-698, June.
    4. Blau, David M, 1987. "A Time-Series Analysis of Self-employment in the United State," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 95(3), pages 445-467, June.
    5. Roger G. Ibbotson & Jody L. Sindelar & Jay R Ritter, 1994. "The Market'S Problems With The Pricing Of Initial Public Offerings," Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, Morgan Stanley, vol. 7(1), pages 66-74, March.
    6. Rosenberg, Nathan & Nelson, Richard R., 1994. "American universities and technical advance in industry," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 23(3), pages 323-348, May.
    7. Carlsson, Bo, 1992. "The Rise of Small Business: Causes and Consequences," Working Paper Series 357, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    8. Winter, Sidney G., 1984. "Schumpeterian competition in alternative technological regimes," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 5(3-4), pages 287-320.
    9. Megan MacGarvie & Jeffrey L. Furman, 2005. "Early Academic Science and the Birth of Industrial Research Laboratories in the U.S. Pharmaceutical Industry," NBER Working Papers 11470, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. Edmund S. Phelps, 2008. "Understanding the Great Changes in the World: Gaining Ground and Losing Ground since World War II," International Economic Association Series, in: János Kornai & László Mátyás & Gérard Roland (ed.), Institutional Change and Economic Behaviour, chapter 4, pages 77-98, Palgrave Macmillan.
    11. Zoltan J. Acs & David B. Audretsch & Pontus Braunerhjelm & Bo Carlsson, 2005. "Growth and Entrepreneurship: An Empirial Assessment," Papers on Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy 2005-32, Max Planck Institute of Economics, Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy Group.
    12. Jeffrey L. Furman & Megan MacGarvie, 2007. "Academic Science and the Birth of Industrial Research Laboratories in the U.S. Pharmaceutical Industry," NBER Chapters, in: Academic Science and Entrepreneurship: Dual Engines of Growth, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    13. Gartner, William B. & Shane, Scott A., 1995. "Measuring entrepreneurship over time," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 10(4), pages 283-301, July.
    14. Zoltan J. Acs & Bo Carlsson & Pontus Braunerhjelm & David B. Audretsch, "undated". "The Missing Link," Papers on Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy 2005-08, Max Planck Institute of Economics, Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy Group.
    15. Robert H. McGuckin & Robert Inklaar & Bart van Ark & Sean M. Dougherty, 2004. "The Structure of Business R&D: Recent Trends and Measurement Implications," Economics Program Working Papers 04-01, The Conference Board, Economics Program.
    16. Carlsson, Bo, 1984. "The development and use of machine tools in historical perspective," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 5(1), pages 91-114, March.
    17. Samuel Kortum & Josh Lerner, 2000. "Assessing the Contribution of Venture Capital to Innovation," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 31(4), pages 674-692, Winter.
    18. Acs, Zoltan J & Audretsch, David B, 1987. "Innovation, Market Structure, and Firm Size," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 69(4), pages 567-574, November.
    19. Rosenberg, Nathan, 1992. "Scientific instrumentation and university research," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 21(4), pages 381-390, August.
    20. Lucas, Robert Jr., 1988. "On the mechanics of economic development," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 3-42, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Blog mentions

    As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:
    1. The “Knowledge Filter” and the New Economy
      by Dick Langlois in Organizations and Markets on 2010-05-29 00:21:44

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Zoltán J. Ács & Lawrence A. Plummer & Ryan Sutter, 2015. "Penetrating the knowledge filter in “rust belt” economies," Chapters, in: Global Entrepreneurship, Institutions and Incentives, chapter 17, pages 320-343, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    2. Eric Berkers, 2008. "Tastes differ: Comparing company strategies, innovation trajectories and knowledge sources in Dutch soft drink production in the 1930s," Business History, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(3), pages 351-367.
    3. Zoltan J. Acs, 2006. "State of literature on small to medium-size enterprises and entrepreneurship in low-income communities," Proceedings: Community Affairs Dept. Conferences, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, issue Jul, pages 21-54.
    4. Ricardo Moutinho & Manuel Au-Yong-Oliveira & Arnaldo Coelho & José Pires Manso, 2016. "Determinants of knowledge-based entrepreneurship: an exploratory approach," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 12(1), pages 171-197, March.
    5. Pamela Mueller, 2007. "Exploiting Entrepreneurial Opportunities: The Impact of Entrepreneurship on Growth," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 28(4), pages 355-362, April.
    6. Dirk Fornahl & Axel Johannes Schaffer & Jochen Siegele, 2009. "Regional per Capita-Income - The Importance of Region-Specific Production Factors," Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics (SJES), Swiss Society of Economics and Statistics (SSES), vol. 145(II), pages 155-185, June.
    7. Paul Bishop, 2012. "Knowledge, diversity and entrepreneurship: a spatial analysis of new firm formation in Great Britain," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(7-8), pages 641-660, September.
    8. Ronja Kirschning & Matthias Mrożewski, 2023. "The role of entrepreneurial absorptive capacity for knowledge spillover entrepreneurship," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 60(1), pages 105-120, January.
    9. Jan Gunnarsson & Torsten Wallin, 2011. "An evolutionary approach to regional systems of innovation," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 321-340, May.
    10. David J. Miller & Zoltan J. Acs, 2013. "Backing the horse or the jockey? University knowledge commercialization in the entrepreneurial age," Chapters, in: Tüzin Baycan (ed.), Knowledge Commercialization and Valorization in Regional Economic Development, chapter 2, pages 23-45, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    11. Zouha?er M¡¯Chirgui, 2012. "Assessing the Performance of Business Incubators: Recent France Evidence," Business and Management Research, Business and Management Research, Sciedu Press, vol. 1(1), pages 62-76, March.
    12. Maribel Guerrero & David Urbano, 2014. "Academics’ start-up intentions and knowledge filters: an individual perspective of the knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 43(1), pages 57-74, June.
    13. Mueller, Pamela, 2005. "Exploring the knowledge filter: how entrepreneurship and university-industry relations drive economic growth," Freiberg Working Papers 2005/17, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration.
    14. Martin Carree & Antonio Malva & Enrico Santarelli, 2014. "The contribution of universities to growth: empirical evidence for Italy," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 39(3), pages 393-414, June.
    15. Moutinho, Ricardo & Au-Yong-Oliveira, Manuel & Coelho, Arnaldo & Manso, José Pires, 2015. "Beyond the “Innovation's Black-Box”: Translating R&D outlays into employment and economic growth," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 45-58.
    16. Gurrieri, Antonia Rosa, 2008. "Knowledge network dissemination in a family-firm sector," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 37(6), pages 2380-2389, December.
    17. Mueller, Pamela, 2005. "Exploiting entrepreneurial opportunities: the impact of entrepreneurship on economic growth," Freiberg Working Papers 2005/16, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration.
    18. Zoltan Acs & Lawrence A. Plummer & Ryan Sutter, 2007. "Penetrating the Knowledge Filter in the Rust Belt," Jena Economics Research Papers 2007-058, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena.
    19. David B. Audretsch, 2021. "Have we oversold the Silicon Valley model of entrepreneurship?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 56(2), pages 849-856, February.

    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. Zoltán J. Ács & Pontus Braunerhjelm & David B. Audretsch & Bo Carlsson, 2015. "The knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship," Chapters, in: Global Entrepreneurship, Institutions and Incentives, chapter 7, pages 129-144, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    2. Zoltan Acs & Lawrence A. Plummer & Ryan Sutter, 2007. "Penetrating the Knowledge Filter in the Rust Belt," Jena Economics Research Papers 2007-058, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena.
    3. Zoltán J. Ács & Lawrence A. Plummer & Ryan Sutter, 2015. "Penetrating the knowledge filter in “rust belt” economies," Chapters, in: Global Entrepreneurship, Institutions and Incentives, chapter 17, pages 320-343, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    4. Hugo Erken & Piet Donselaar & Roy Thurik, 2018. "Total factor productivity and the role of entrepreneurship," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 43(6), pages 1493-1521, December.
    5. Bo Carlsson & Pontus Braunerhjelm & Maureen McKelvey & Christer Olofsson & Lars Persson & Håkan Ylinenpää, 2013. "The evolving domain of entrepreneurship research," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 41(4), pages 913-930, December.
    6. Joern H. Block & Christian O. Fisch & Mirjam van Praag, 2017. "The Schumpeterian entrepreneur: a review of the empirical evidence on the antecedents, behaviour and consequences of innovative entrepreneurship," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(1), pages 61-95, January.
    7. Tsvetkova, Alexandra, 2016. "Do diversity, creativity and localized competition promote endogenous firm formation? Evidence from a high-tech US industry," MPRA Paper 72349, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Joern Block & Roy Thurik & Haibo Zhou, 2013. "What turns knowledge into innovative products? The role of entrepreneurship and knowledge spillovers," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 23(4), pages 693-718, September.
    9. Pamela Mueller, 2005. "Exploring the Knowledge Filter - How Entrepreneurship and University-Industry Relations Drive Economic Growth," ERSA conference papers ersa05p610, European Regional Science Association.
    10. Andrea Bonaccorsi & Massimo Colombo & Massimiliano Guerini & Cristina Rossi-Lamastra, 2013. "University specialization and new firm creation across industries," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 41(4), pages 837-863, December.
    11. David Audretsch & Agustí Segarra & Mercedes Teruel, 2014. "Why don't all young firms invest in R&D?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 43(4), pages 751-766, December.
    12. Frédéric Delmar & Karl Wennberg & Karin Hellerstedt, 2011. "Endogenous growth through knowledge spillovers in entrepreneurship : an empirical test," Post-Print hal-02312920, HAL.
    13. André Stel & José Millán & Concepción Román, 2014. "Investigating the impact of the technological environment on survival chances of employer entrepreneurs," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 43(4), pages 839-855, December.
    14. Andreas Pyka & Paul Windrum, 2003. "The self-organisation of strategic alliances," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 12(3), pages 245-268.
    15. Niccolò Ghio & Massimiliano Guerini & Erik Lehmann & Cristina Rossi-Lamastra, 2015. "The emergence of the knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 44(1), pages 1-18, January.
    16. Colombelli, Alessandra & Quatraro, Francesco, 2018. "New firm formation and regional knowledge production modes: Italian evidence," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 139-157.
    17. Benny Borgman & Pontus Braunerhjelm, 2010. "Entrepreneurship and Local Growth: A Comparison of the US and Sweden," Chapters, in: Charlie Karlsson & Börje Johansson & Roger R. Stough (ed.), Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, chapter 4, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    18. Maribel Guerrero & David Urbano, 2014. "Academics’ start-up intentions and knowledge filters: an individual perspective of the knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 43(1), pages 57-74, June.
    19. Haifeng Qian & Hyejin Jung, 2017. "Solving the knowledge filter puzzle: absorptive capacity, entrepreneurship and regional development," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 48(1), pages 99-114, January.
    20. Carlsson , Bo, 2016. "Industrial Dynamics: A Review of the Literature 1990-2009," Papers in Innovation Studies 2016/3, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    knowledge; economic growth; entrepreneurship; spillovers; history;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • N90 - Economic History - - Regional and Urban History - - - General, International, or Comparative
    • O14 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Industrialization; Manufacturing and Service Industries; Choice of Technology
    • O17 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements
    • O30 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - General

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Lists

    This item is featured on the following reading lists, Wikipedia, or ReplicationWiki pages:
    1. Socio-Economics of Innovation

    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:hhs:cesisp:0104. 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: Vardan Hovsepyan (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/cekthse.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.