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Experimental evidence on the effects of innovation contests

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  • Brueggemann, Julia
  • Meub, Lukas

Abstract

Economic research on innovation has long discussed which policy instruments best foster innovativeness in individuals and organizations. One of the instruments easily accessible to policy-makers is innovation contests; however, there is ambiguous empirical evidence concerning how such contests should be designed. Our experimental study provides evidence by analyzing the effects of two different innovation contests on subjects´ innovativeness: a prize for the aggregate innovativeness and a prize for the best innovation. We implement a creative real effort task simulating a sequential innovation process, whereby subjects determine royalty fees for their created products, which also serve as a measure of cooperation. We find that both contest conditions reduce the willingness to cooperate between subjects compared to a benchmark condition without an innovation contest. However, the total innovation activity is not influenced by introducing innovation contest schemes. From a policy perspective, the implementation of state-subsidized innovation contests in addition to the existing intellectual property rights system should be questioned.

Suggested Citation

  • Brueggemann, Julia & Meub, Lukas, 2015. "Experimental evidence on the effects of innovation contests," University of Göttingen Working Papers in Economics 251, University of Goettingen, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:cegedp:251
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    Cited by:

    1. Liotard, Isabelle & Revest, Valérie, 2018. "Contests as innovation policy instruments: Lessons from the US federal agencies' experience," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 57-69.
    2. Casaburi, Gabriel & Crespi, Gustavo & De León, Ignacio L. & Figal Garone, Lucas & Grazzi, Matteo & Guaipatín, Carlos & Katz, Jorge & Llisterri, Juan J. & Maffioli, Alessandro & Navarro, Juan Carlos & , 2016. "La política de innovación en América Latina y el Caribe: Nuevos caminos," IDB Publications (Books), Inter-American Development Bank, number 7705, November.
    3. Julia Brüggemann & Kilian Bizer, 2016. "Laboratory experiments in innovation research: a methodological overview and a review of the current literature," Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 5(1), pages 1-13, December.
    4. Gabriel Casaburi & Gustavo Crespi & Ignacio L. De León & José Fernández & Lucas Figal Garone & Matteo Grazzi & Carlos Guaipatín & Jorge Katz & Juan J. Llisterri & Alessandro Maffioli & Juan Carlos Nav, 2016. "La política de innovación en América Latina y el Caribe: Nuevos caminos," IDB Publications (Books), Inter-American Development Bank, number 94816 edited by Juan Carlos Navarro & Jocelyn Olivari, February.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    innovation prizes; competition; laboratory experiment; real effort task; creativity; innovation policy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C91 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Individual Behavior
    • D89 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Other
    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives

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