Innovation network

Technological progress builds upon itself, with the expansion of invention in one domain propelling future work in linked fields. Our analysis uses 1.8 million US patents and their citation properties to map the innovation network and its strength. Past innovation network structures are calculated u...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Akcigit, Ufuk, Kerr, William R., Acemoglu, K. Daron
Other Authors: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Economics
Format: Article
Language:en_US
Published: National Academy of Sciences (U.S.) 2017
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/108685
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0908-7491
Description
Summary:Technological progress builds upon itself, with the expansion of invention in one domain propelling future work in linked fields. Our analysis uses 1.8 million US patents and their citation properties to map the innovation network and its strength. Past innovation network structures are calculated using citation patterns across technology classes during 1975–1994. The interaction of this preexisting network structure with patent growth in upstream technology fields has strong predictive power on future innovation after 1995. This pattern is consistent with the idea that when there is more past upstream innovation for a particular technology class to build on, then that technology class innovates more.