IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ebl/ecbull/eb-11-00653.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Knowledge diffusion vs. technological progress: the optimal strength of IPRs protection

Author

Listed:
  • Shuai Niu

    (School of Economics, Australian School of Business, The University of New South Wales)

Abstract

By adjusting the strength of IPRs protection, the government can change the extent of knowledge spillovers in R&D. A large spillover rate helps to improve the productivity of the less efficient firms and save on the overall production costs. But, at the same time, it reduces the innovator's incentives to conduct R&D and results in a lower equilibrium innovation level. So, there is an inherent tension between knowledge diffusion and technological progress. In this paper, we formalized this relationship in a two stage asymmetric duopoly model and discussed the optimal IPRs protection policy. The main conclusion is that, to maximize social welfare the strength of IPRs protection should rise as the increase of the innovating firm's R&D efficiency.

Suggested Citation

  • Shuai Niu, 2011. "Knowledge diffusion vs. technological progress: the optimal strength of IPRs protection," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 31(4), pages 2839-2846.
    • Handle: RePEc:ebl:ecbull:eb-11-00653
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.accessecon.com/Pubs/EB/2011/Volume31/EB-11-V31-I4-P255.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Leahy, Dermot & Neary, J Peter, 1997. "Public Policy towards R&D in Oligopolistic Industries," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 87(4), pages 642-662, September.
    2. Darmot Leahy & J. Peter Neary, 1997. "Veřejná politiky v oblasti výzkumu a vývoje v oligopolním průmyslu [Public Policy Towards R & D in Oligopolistic Industry]," Politická ekonomie, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 1997(5), pages 683-698.
    3. James A. Brander & Barbara J. Spencer, 1983. "Strategic Commitment with R&D: The Symmetric Case," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 14(1), pages 225-235, Spring.
    4. Moonsung Kang, 2006. "Trade policy mix: IPR protection and R&D subsidies," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 39(3), pages 744-757, August.
    5. Moonsung Kang, 2006. "Trade policy mix: IPR protection and R&D subsidies," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 39(3), pages 744-757, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Jeon, Haejun, 2019. "Patent protection and R&D subsidy under asymmetric information," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 332-354.
    2. Tsuyoshi Toshimitsu, 2014. "Strategic Product R&D Investment Policy under International Rivalry in the Presence of Demand Spillover Effects," International Economic Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(2), pages 293-309, June.
    3. Yoon, Jeong & Choi, Kangsik, 2018. "Why do export subsidies still exist? R&D and output subsidies," Japan and the World Economy, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 30-38.
    4. De Bondt, Raymond, 1997. "Spillovers and innovative activities," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 15(1), pages 1-28, February.
    5. Ghebrihiwet, Nahom, 2017. "Acquisition or direct entry, technology transfer, and FDI policy liberalization," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 455-469.
    6. Bahar Erbas, 2010. "Factors affecting innovation and pollution-reduction performance of environmental regulations," Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Springer;Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - SEEPS, vol. 12(4), pages 139-163, December.
    7. Jiaqi Chen & Sang‐Ho Lee, 2023. "Cournot–Bertrand comparisons under R&D competition: Output versus R&D subsidies," International Journal of Economic Theory, The International Society for Economic Theory, vol. 19(1), pages 77-100, March.
    8. Moonsung Kang, 2009. "Understanding Agreements on TRIPS and Subsidies in Tandem," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 20(2), pages 225-240, April.
    9. Halbheer, Daniel & Fehr, Ernst & Goette, Lorenz & Schmutzler, Armin, 2009. "Self-reinforcing market dominance," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 67(2), pages 481-502, November.
    10. Sanjeev Goyal & José Luis Moraga-González & Alexander Konovalov, 2008. "Hybrid R&D," Journal of the European Economic Association, MIT Press, vol. 6(6), pages 1309-1338, December.
    11. Luis Aguiar & Philippe Gagnepain, 2011. "European Cooperative R&D And Firm Performance," Working Papers hal-00622969, HAL.
    12. J. Peter Neary & Paul O'Sullivan, 1999. "Beat 'em or Join 'em? Export Subsidies versus International Research Joint Ventures in Oligopolistic Markets," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 101(4), pages 577-596, December.
    13. Ben Ferrett & Joanna Poyago-Theotoky, 2016. "Horizontal Agreements and R&D Complementarities: Merger versus RJV," International Journal of the Economics of Business, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(1), pages 87-107, February.
    14. Clark, Derek J. & Sand, Jan Yngve, 2010. "Endogenous technology sharing in R&D intensive industries," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), vol. 4, pages 1-48.
    15. Kaiser, Ulrich & Kuhn, Johan M., 2012. "Long-run effects of public–private research joint ventures: The case of the Danish Innovation Consortia support scheme," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(5), pages 913-927.
    16. Ben Ferrett, 2012. "R&D Competition in an Asymmetric Cournot Duopoly: The Welfare Effects of Catch-Up by the Laggard Firm," Discussion Paper Series 2012_05, Department of Economics, Loughborough University, revised Apr 2012.
    17. Ya-Chin Wang, 2016. "R&D Policy Involving Consumer-Friendly Strategy: Cooperative and Non-Cooperative R&D," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 16(2), pages 257-272, June.
    18. Moonsung Kang, 2008. "Linkages Between Patent Protection and Strategic R&D Policy: Case of the Exogeneous Regime of IPR Protection," Korean Economic Review, Korean Economic Association, vol. 24, pages 367-382.
    19. Richard Gretz & Jannett Highfill & Robert Scott, 2012. "R&D subsidy games: a cost sharing approach vs. reward for performance," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 37(4), pages 385-403, August.
    20. Eckel, Carsten & Iacovone, Leonardo & Javorcik, Beata & Neary, J. Peter, 2015. "Multi-product firms at home and away: Cost- versus quality-based competence," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(2), pages 216-232.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    spillovers; knowledge diffusion; technological progress; IPRs;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L0 - Industrial Organization - - General
    • L1 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance

    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:ebl:ecbull:eb-11-00653. 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: John P. Conley (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    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.