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Precocious inventors: early patenting success and lifetime inventive performance

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  • Theresa Michlbauer
  • Thomas Zwick

Abstract

Precocious inventors have a higher inventive productivity during their remaining career. Inventors who have their first patent either applied for extraordinarily fast or a first patent of especially high quality are regarded as precocious. This paper systematically includes individual and employer characteristics that can drive career productivity beside an early patenting success to reveal the true productivity effect of precociousness. We show that early patenting success reveals dimensions of inventive ability that are not captured in individual characteristics that are predetermined at the start of the career such as the school education level. The favourable work environment precocious inventors enjoyed also has a relatively low explanatory value for career productivity. Precocious inventors also do not benefit from cumulative advantage. Although also rival firms can use early patenting success as indicator for a high career productivity, early employers can retain a high share of their precocious inventors. We propose several reasons for this surprising phenomenon.

Suggested Citation

  • Theresa Michlbauer & Thomas Zwick, 2024. "Precocious inventors: early patenting success and lifetime inventive performance," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(1), pages 92-123, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:ecinnt:v:33:y:2024:i:1:p:92-123
    DOI: 10.1080/10438599.2022.2144845
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    JEL classification:

    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • M54 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics - - - Labor Management
    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
    • O32 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Management of Technological Innovation and R&D

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