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What is the causal effect of R&D on patenting activity in a professor’s privilege country? Evidence from Sweden

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  • Ejermo , Olof

    (CIRCLE, Lund University)

  • Källström , John

    (CIRCLE, Lund University)

Abstract

We investigate the responsiveness of academic patenting to research and development (R&D) on the subject level at Swedish universities in panel data regressions. The general responsiveness to R&D is found to be higher than corresponding estimates found in US studies, especially when we adopt instrumental variable techniques that address endogeneity in the studied R&D-to-patent relationship. We also find that this responsiveness is not associated with lower quality of patents measured in terms of citations. A higher responsiveness from R&D to patenting is found in “Information technologies”, “Chemistry (science)”, “Electrical engineering, electronics & photonics” and “Chemical engineering”, “Medicine” and in “Microbiology” than in other common patenting fields. Our main result, that academia in Sweden contributes well to inventive activity support the view that the professor’s privilege may be a contributing factor.

Suggested Citation

  • Ejermo , Olof & Källström , John, 2015. "What is the causal effect of R&D on patenting activity in a professor’s privilege country? Evidence from Sweden," Papers in Innovation Studies 2015/43, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:lucirc:2015_043
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    Cited by:

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    2. Maribel Guerrero & David Urbano & Alain Fayolle & Magnus Klofsten & Sarfraz Mian, 2016. "Entrepreneurial universities: emerging models in the new social and economic landscape," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 47(3), pages 551-563, October.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    research and development; patenting; academia; knowledge production functions; the professor’s privilege; Sweden;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C25 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Discrete Regression and Qualitative Choice Models; Discrete Regressors; Proportions; Probabilities
    • C26 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Instrumental Variables (IV) Estimation
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
    • O32 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Management of Technological Innovation and R&D
    • O34 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Intellectual Property and Intellectual Capital
    • O38 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Government Policy

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