Mapping the Problem Space of Innovation
Inventions are solutions to technical problems, but patent data are organized around the technology used rather than the problem addressed. Recovering this missing problem dimension reveals which inventions tackle the same challenge across different fields.
Are Patents Conducive to Innovation? Evidence from German Reunification
German reunification made previously public GDR knowledge enforceable as patents. This provides a natural experiment on how innovation responds when open knowledge becomes proprietary.
Fire and Mice: The Effect of Supply Shocks on the Innovation Value Chain
A 1989 fire at the Jackson Laboratory, the world's largest supplier of laboratory mice, left biomedical researchers without the mouse strains they depended on. The paper uses this shock to trace how a disruption in research inputs affects scientific output and the innovation that builds on it.
Limits to the Division of Innovative Labor: Evidence from the Pharmaceutical Industry
When demand for new drugs rose, firms expanded product development quickly, while academic research changed little. Firms with their own scientific capabilities later stepped up in-house research.
What to Buy When Forum Shopping? Determinants of Court Selection in Patent Litigation
German patent plaintiffs can choose among several courts. They prefer courts with faster proceedings, especially when suing competitors, and distance matters too.