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Innovation, diffusion, and trade: Theory and measurement

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  • Santacreu, Ana Maria

Abstract

What are the sources of economic growth? This paper presents a multicountry growth model of innovation and the adoption of foreign technologies through trade. The costs of both domestic innovation and adopting foreign innovations are estimated using data on innovation, output and trade. A decomposition of the sources of growth shows that technology adoption accounts for about 65% of “embodied” growth in developing countries. Developed countries grow mainly through domestic innovation, which explains 75% of their “embodied” growth. Counterfactuals show how growth rates and levels of income would change if countries faced the same barriers to adoption and research productivity.

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  • Santacreu, Ana Maria, 2015. "Innovation, diffusion, and trade: Theory and measurement," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 1-20.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:moneco:v:75:y:2015:i:c:p:1-20
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jmoneco.2015.06.008
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Innovation; Technology adoption; Trade in varieties; Economic growth;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence
    • O30 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - General
    • F12 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Models of Trade with Imperfect Competition and Scale Economies; Fragmentation
    • F43 - International Economics - - Macroeconomic Aspects of International Trade and Finance - - - Economic Growth of Open Economies

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