Technological Leadership (de)Concentration: Causes in ICTE / Yasin Ozcan, Shane Greenstein.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ozcan, Yasin.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Greenstein, Shane.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w22631.

NBER working paper series no. w22631

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Other Title:

Technological Leadership

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2016.

Summary:

Using patents as indicators of inventive activity, this article characterizes the concentration of origins of invention from 1976 to 2010, and how these changed over time. The analysis finds pervasive deconcentration in virtually every area related to ICT, but it can explain only a small part of this trend. Deconcentration happens despite the role of lateral entry by existing firms. New firm entry drives part of the deconcentration, but this alone cannot explain the change. A single supply factor in the market for ideas, such as the breakup of AT&T, also cannot explain the trend. Finally, eleven percent of patents change hands through mergers and acquisitions activity, but this does not make up for the declines in concentration in the origins of invention.

Notes:

Print version record

September 2016.