Procuring Knowledge / Stephen M. Maurer, Suzanne Scotchmer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Maurer, Stephen M.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Scotchmer, Suzanne.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w9903.

NBER working paper series no. w9903

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2003.

Summary:

There is growing public interest in alternatives to intellectual property including, but not limited to, prizes and government grants. We argue that there is no single best mechanism for supporting research. Rather, mechanisms can only be compared within specific creative environments. We collect various historical and contemporary examples of alternative incentives, and relate them to models of the creative process. We give an explanation for why federally funded R&D has moved from an intramural activity to largely a grant process. Finally, we observe that much research is supported by a hybrid system of public and private sponsorship, and explain why this makes sense in some circumstances.

Notes:

Print version record

August 2003.