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Ideas production and international knowledge spillovers: Digging deeper into emerging countries

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  • Luintel, Kul B.
  • Khan, Mosahid

Abstract

Research and Development (R&D) activities of emerging countries (EMEs) have increased considerably in recent years. Recent micro studies and anecdotal evidence points to industrialized countries as the sources of knowledge in EMEs. In this context, we examine ideas production and international knowledge spillovers in a panel of 31 EMEs by accounting for six diffusion channels and two types (national versus USPTO) of patent filings. Knowledge spillovers to EMEs accruing from (i) the industrialized world, (ii) the emerging world, (iii) different country and regional groups, (iv) selected bilateral cases, and (v) those within the regional clusters of EMEs, are modeled. Spillovers from the industrialized world appear robust via geographical proximity and disembodied channels only. Other conduits, including trade flows, are either insignificant or not robust. Spillovers from the emerging world are virtually non-existent. Analyses of regional clusters of EMEs do not support any role of language, culture or geographical characteristics in knowledge diffusion. Overall, the breadth and depth of knowledge spillovers to EMEs appear extremely moderate; however, we find pockets (specific countries and certain groups) generating positive spillovers. A carefully choreographed policy focusing on such pockets might be fruitful. We hope that this study (i) complements the micro literature, (ii) furthers the existing macro literature and (iii) provides some new policy insights. Our results are robust to a range of robustness checks, including the estimators – a cointegration approach versus a simple fixed effects OLS estimator.

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  • Luintel, Kul B. & Khan, Mosahid, 2017. "Ideas production and international knowledge spillovers: Digging deeper into emerging countries," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(10), pages 1738-1754.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:respol:v:46:y:2017:i:10:p:1738-1754
    DOI: 10.1016/j.respol.2017.07.009
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    Cited by:

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    2. Ahamed, M. Mostak & Luintel, Kul B. & Mallick, Sushanta K., 2023. "Does local knowledge spillover matter for firm productivity? The role of financial access and corporate governance," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(8).
    3. Luintel, Kul B. & Khan, Mosahid, 2017. "Ideas production and international knowledge spillovers: Digging deeper into emerging countries," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(10), pages 1738-1754.
    4. Sergio Cuellar & Alberto Méndez-Morales & Milton M. Herrera, 2022. "Location Matters: a Novel Methodology for Patent’s National Phase Process," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 13(3), pages 2138-2163, September.
    5. Willoughby, Kelvin W. & Mullina, Nadezhda, 2021. "Reverse innovation, international patenting and economic inertia: Constraints to appropriating the benefits of technological innovation," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    6. Luintel, Kul B & Pourpourides, Panayiotis M., 2022. "New Results and a Model of Scale Effects on Growth," Cardiff Economics Working Papers E2022/19, Cardiff University, Cardiff Business School, Economics Section.
    7. Xiyan Mao & Peiyu Wang, 2023. "Import–export nexus and China's emerging trade in environmental goods," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(1), pages 157-181, March.
    8. Roberta Piermartini & Stela Rubínová, 2021. "How much do global value chains boost innovation?," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 54(2), pages 892-922, May.
    9. Sommer, Daniel & Bhandari, Krishna Raj, 2022. "Internationalization of R&D and Innovation Performance in the Pharma Industry," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 28(3).
    10. Ileana Palaco & Suk Kyoung Kim & Min Jae Park & Jae Jeung Rho, 2022. "Exploring capabilities of international technology transfer intermediaries between emerging and developed countries," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 47(1), pages 307-352, February.
    11. Foreman-Peck, James & Zhou, Peng, 2023. "Specialisation precedes diversification: R&D productivity effects," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(7).
    12. Kyle HIGHAM & NAGAOKA Sadao, 2022. "Language Barriers and the Speed of Knowledge Diffusion," Discussion papers 22074, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Knowledge production; Diffusion; Fixed effects; Panel integration and cointegration;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O3 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights
    • O4 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity
    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence

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