The sub-Antarctic as a source of human enrichment — the case of South Georgia

South Georgia and how its history and heritage may be considered a unique source of human enrichment today is considered in the light of the sealing and whaling eras and more recent times when science and tourism dominate. Attitudes to the whaling heritage have gradually changed in this latter period. The spectacular natural heritage is emphasised, and a recent project on habitat restoration at the island is mentione

Innovation and institutional ownership revisited: an empirical investigation with count data models

By discriminating between a lazy manager and a career concerns hypothesis, Aghion et al. (Am Econ Rev 103(1):277304, 2013. doi: 10.1257/aer.103.1.277) try to disentangle the link between innovation and institutional ownership. Citation-weighted patent counts are used as a proxy for innovation, which motivates the use of count data models. A replication in a narrow sense confirms their empirical results which are mainly based on Poisson models (i.e., with a single set of regression coefficients). However, when extending the model framework by count data hurdle models, it is shown that the two hurdle parts do not coincideas they should under the Poisson modelbut lead to different results. Nevertheless, a remarkably stable positive correlation of citation-weighted patents and institutional ownership across all model specifications can be shown.(VLID)452660

Trade in ideas: outsourcing and knowledge spillovers

Inspired by the theory of variety-expanding product innovation we derive a testable relationship of outsourcing on the growth rate of knowledge. We estimate this relationship with a firm-level dataset, which is a unique match of PATSTAT patent data and theAmadeus dataset. We find evidence that forward spillovers are stronger than backward spillovers, where forward spillovers are defined as spillovers going down the value chain from producers to users of intermediate inputs. Moreover, we conclude that interindustry spillovers are stronger than intra-industry spillovers. This holds when considering only the more important forward spillovers as well as when considering both directions of knowledge flow

Trends in genetic patent applications: The commercialization of academic intellectual property

We studied trends in genetic patent applications in order to identify the trends in the commercialization of research findings in genetics. To define genetic patent applications, the European version (ECLA) of the International Patent Classification (IPC) codes was used. Genetic patent applications data from the PATSTAT database from 1990 until 2009 were analyzed for time trends and regional distribution. Overall, the number of patent applications has been growing. In 2009, 152 000 patent applications were submitted under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) and within the EP (European Patent) system of the European Patent Office (EPO). The number of genetic patent applications increased until a peak was reached in the year 2000, with >8000 applications, after which it declined by almost 50%. Continents show different patterns over time, with the global peak in 2000 mainly explained by the USA and Europe, while Asia shows a stable number of >1000 per year. Nine countries together account for 98.9% of the total number of genetic patent applications. In The Netherlands, 26.7% of the genetic patent applications originate from public research institutions. After the year 2000, the number of genetic patent applications dropped significantly. Academic leadership and policy as well as patent regulations seem to have an important role in the trend differences. The ongoing investment in genetic research in the past decade is not reflected by an increase of patent applications

Does knowledge spill to leaders or laggards? Exploring industry heterogeneity in learning by exporting

In recent years the international trade literature has focused on the effects of exporting and its benefits in an open economy. Scholars note that engaging in trade enhances knowledge spillovers, and results in income growth and income convergence among trading partners. Although the macro-literature has long addressed economic convergence, there has been relatively little research examining the effect of exporting on ex post firm performance. Likewise, there has been little research that examines the differential learning-by-exporting effects across industries. In this paper we build upon the convergence literature to argue that engaging in exporting provides firms, especially firms in technologically lagging industries, the opportunity to benefit disproportionately from knowledge spillovers. Using a sample of Spanish manufacturing firms from 1990 to 1997, we investigate empirically how exporting differentially influences the innovative outcomes of firms in technologically leading vs lagging industries. We find evidence that firms in technologically lagging industries (in which Spain lags the global technology frontier) learn more from exporting than those firms in technologically leading industries (in which Spain is at, or near, the global technology frontier). The results enrich the traditional convergence argument by suggesting that industry heterogeneity matters to knowledge transfer, and stands to play a substantial role in reducing knowledge gaps. Journal of International Business Studies (2008) 39, 132–150. doi:10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8400320