Inventing Together: Exploring the Nature of International Knowledge Spillovers in Latin America
Author(s)
Montobbio, Fabio
Sterzi, Valerio
Advisor(s)
Editor(s)
Collections
Supplementary to:
Permanent Link
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.
Sponsor
Date
2009-10-07
Extent
Resource Type
Text
Resource Subtype
Proceedings