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Some Critical Episodes in the Progress of Medical Innovation: An Anglo-American Perspective

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  • Nathan Rosenberg

    (Stanford University)

Abstract

The central concern of this paper is to show that medical innovations have depended heavily on breaking down barriers that have long prevailed in the academic world, in the form of disciplinary boundaries that have coalesced into separate departments. In the longer run, this sharp distinction between Life Sciences and Physical Sciences may be the basis for excessively narrow and inappropriate policy recommendations. Some of the biggest breakthroughs in the Life Sciences came from the Physical Sciences.

Suggested Citation

  • Nathan Rosenberg, 2008. "Some Critical Episodes in the Progress of Medical Innovation: An Anglo-American Perspective," Discussion Papers 08-008, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:sip:dpaper:08-008
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    1. Lynne G. Zucker & Michael R. Darby & Marilynn B. Brewer, 1994. "Intellectual Capital and the Birth of U.S. Biotechnology Enterprises," NBER Working Papers 4653, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Mowery,David C. & Nelson,Richard R. (ed.), 1999. "Sources of Industrial Leadership," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521645201.
    3. Audretsch, David B & Stephan, Paula E, 1996. "Company-Scientist Locational Links: The Case of Biotechnology," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 86(3), pages 641-652, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ali, Ayfer & Gittelman, Michelle, 2016. "Research paradigms and useful inventions in medicine: Patents and licensing by teams of clinical and basic scientists in Academic Medical Centers," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(8), pages 1499-1511.
    2. Giovanni Dosi & Richard Nelson, 2013. "The Evolution of Technologies: An Assessment of the State-of-the-Art," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 3(1), pages 3-46, June.
    3. Costa, Cátia Miriam & Mendonça, Sandro, 2019. "Knowledge-intensive consumer services. Understanding KICS in the innovative global health-care sector," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(4), pages 968-982.
    4. Nemet, Gregory F. & Johnson, Evan, 2012. "Do important inventions benefit from knowledge originating in other technological domains?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(1), pages 190-200.
    5. Dosi, Giovanni & Nelson, Richard R., 2010. "Technical Change and Industrial Dynamics as Evolutionary Processes," Handbook of the Economics of Innovation, in: Bronwyn H. Hall & Nathan Rosenberg (ed.), Handbook of the Economics of Innovation, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 0, pages 51-127, Elsevier.
    6. Nemet, Gregory F., 2012. "Inter-technology knowledge spillovers for energy technologies," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(5), pages 1259-1270.
    7. Ellen Siu, 2018. "Interorganisational collaboration in Academic Health Science Centre: A case study on King’s Health Partnership," Working Papers 40, Birkbeck Centre for Innovation Management Research, revised Feb 2021.
    8. Lander, Bryn & Atkinson-Grosjean, Janet, 2011. "Translational science and the hidden research system in universities and academic hospitals: A case study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(4), pages 537-544, February.
    9. Blandinieres, Florence, 2019. "Anatomy of the medical innovation process: What are the consequences of replicability issues on innovation?," ZEW Discussion Papers 19-011, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    10. Kato, Masatoshi & Odagiri, Hiroyuki, 2012. "Development of university life-science programs and university–industry joint research in Japan," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(5), pages 939-952.
    11. Taran Thune & Magnus Gulbrandsen, 2016. "Innovation in hospitals: piloting a tool for investigating contributions of hospital employees to innovation," Working Papers on Innovation Studies 20161211, Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture, University of Oslo.
    12. Taran Thune & Magnus Gulbrandsen, 2016. "Combining knowledge to generate new ideas. A study of disclosed ideas for life science inventions," Working Papers on Innovation Studies 20161209, Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture, University of Oslo.
    13. Thompson, Phillip S. & Bolino, Mark C. & Norris, Kalan R. & Kuo, Shu-Tsen, 2023. "Unconstructive curiosity killed the cat: The importance of follower political skill and constructive curiosity to avoid leader perceptions of insubordination and unlikability," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    14. Kwan Soo Hong & DonHee Lee, 2018. "Impact of operational innovations on customer loyalty in the healthcare sector," Service Business, Springer;Pan-Pacific Business Association, vol. 12(3), pages 575-600, September.
    15. Thune, Taran & Mina, Andrea, 2016. "Hospitals as innovators in the health-care system: A literature review and research agenda," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(8), pages 1545-1557.
    16. Gittelman, Michelle, 2016. "The revolution re-visited: Clinical and genetics research paradigms and the productivity paradox in drug discovery," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(8), pages 1570-1585.
    17. Cockburn Iain M. & Stern Scott, 2010. "Finding the Endless Frontier: Lessons from the Life Sciences Innovation System for Technology Policy," Capitalism and Society, De Gruyter, vol. 5(1), pages 1-50, July.
    18. Marlous Blankesteijn & Bart Bossink & Peter Sijde, 2021. "Science-based entrepreneurship education as a means for university-industry technology transfer," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 17(2), pages 779-808, June.
    19. Yaqub, Ohid, 2017. "Testing regimes in clinical trials: Evidence from four polio vaccine trajectories," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(2), pages 475-484.
    20. Ng, Pei-Sin & Funk, Jeffrey L., 2013. "When do new technologies become economically feasible? The case of three-dimensional television," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 35(1), pages 22-31.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Life Sciences; Physical Sciences; Research; Medical Innovations; Policy Recommendations;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions

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