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Inventing together: exploring the nature of international knowledge spillovers in Latin America

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  • Fabio Montobbio
  • Valerio Sterzi

Abstract

This paper studies the nature, sources and determinants of international patenting activity in Latin American countries (LACs) and examines the extent to which LACs benefit from R&D that is performed in the G-5 countries (France, Germany, Japan, United Kingdom, and United States). By using patents and patent citations at the United States Patent and Trademark Office we trace intrasectoral knowledge flows from G-5 countries to LACs. We study the impact of three channels of spillovers: pure spillovers, patent citations related spillovers, and face-to-face contact spillovers. Our results, based on data for Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico, suggest that international knowledge spillovers from the G-5 countries are a significant determinant of inventive activity over the period 1988-2003. In particular we find that the stock of ideas produced in the US has a strong impact on the international patenting activity of these countries. Moreover controlling for US-driven pure spillover effects, bilateral patent citations and face-to-face relationships between inventors are both important additional mechanisms of knowledge transmission. Some of our results suggest that the latter mechanism is more important than the former.
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  • Fabio Montobbio & Valerio Sterzi, 2011. "Inventing together: exploring the nature of international knowledge spillovers in Latin America," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 21(1), pages 53-89, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:joevec:v:21:y:2011:i:1:p:53-89
    DOI: 10.1007/s00191-010-0181-5
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    2. Fabio Montobbio & Valerio Sterzi, 2014. "International patenting and knowledge flows in Latin America," Chapters, in: Sanghoon Ahn & Bronwyn H. Hall & Keun Lee (ed.), Intellectual Property for Economic Development, chapter 9, pages 213-239, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    3. Kim, Yeong Jae, 2022. "The countervailing effects of stocks of knowledge on low-carbon innovation through international collaboration," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    4. Ron Boschma, 2021. "Global Value Chains from an Evolutionary Economic Geography perspective: a research agenda," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 2134, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Nov 2021.
    5. Fabio Montobbio & Annalisa Primi & Valerio Sterzi, 2015. "IPRs and International Knowledge Flows: Evidence from Six Large Emerging Countries," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 106(2), pages 187-204, April.
    6. Antonelli, Cristiano & David, Paul, 2015. "The Generation of Knowledge as an Emergent System Property: An Introduction," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis LEI & BRICK - Laboratory of Economics of Innovation "Franco Momigliano", Bureau of Research in Innovation, Complexity and Knowledge, Collegio 201512, University of Turin.
    7. Ebersberger, Bernd & Feit, Margarita & Mengis, Helen, 2023. "International knowledge interactions and catch-up. Evidence from European patent data for Chinese latecomer firms," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(2).
    8. Shu-Hao Chang, 2017. "The evolutionary growth estimation model of international cooperative patent networks," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 112(2), pages 711-729, August.
    9. Montobbio, Fabio & Sterzi, Valerio, 2013. "The Globalization of Technology in Emerging Markets: A Gravity Model on the Determinants of International Patent Collaborations," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 281-299.
    10. Neves, Pedro Cunha & Sequeira, Tiago Neves, 2018. "Spillovers in the production of knowledge: A meta-regression analysis," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(4), pages 750-767.
    11. Antonelli, Cristiano & Feder, Christophe, 2020. "The new direction of technological change in the global economy," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 1-12.
    12. Carlos Bianchi & Pablo Galaso & Sergio Palomeque, 2020. "Invention and Collaboration Networks in Latin America: Evidence from Patent Data," Documentos de Trabajo (working papers) 20-04, Instituto de Economía - IECON.
    13. Bronwyn H. Hall, 2014. "Does patent protection help or hinder technology transfer?," Chapters, in: Sanghoon Ahn & Bronwyn H. Hall & Keun Lee (ed.), Intellectual Property for Economic Development, chapter 2, pages 11-32, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    14. Franco Malerba & Maria Mancusi & Fabio Montobbio, 2013. "Innovation, international R&D spillovers and the sectoral heterogeneity of knowledge flows," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 149(4), pages 697-722, December.
    15. Gianluca Orsatti & Valerio Sterzi, 2018. "Do Patent Assertion Entities Harm Innovation? Evidence from Patent Transfers in Europe," Cahiers du GREThA (2007-2019) 2018-08, Groupe de Recherche en Economie Théorique et Appliquée (GREThA).
    16. Mathew, Nanditha & Napolitano, Lorenzo & Rizzo, Ugo, 2020. "The role of domestic-firm knowledge in foreign R&D collaborations: Evidence from co-patenting in Indian firms," MERIT Working Papers 2020-044, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    17. Massimiliano Ferrara & Roberto Mavilia & Bruno Antonio Pansera, 2017. "Extracting knowledge patterns with a social network analysis approach: an alternative methodology for assessing the impact of power inventors," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 113(3), pages 1593-1625, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Innovation; R&D spillover; Knowledge flows; Latin America; Patents; Citations; Inventors; O30; O10; O11;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O30 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - General
    • O10 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - General
    • O11 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Macroeconomic Analyses of Economic Development

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