We examine the relationship between the coherence of the knowledge base and the innovative perfor... more We examine the relationship between the coherence of the knowledge base and the innovative performance of US pharmaceutical firms during the nineties. We develop measures of the coherence and scope of firms' knowledge base. Count data regression models show a strong link between these two properties and firms' innovative performance. Firms experience decreasing returns to scale in research but larger firms enjoy a significant size advantage in innovation. Knowledge flows are necessary in knowledge production but not sufficient to secure its quality. Over time, the contribution of the scope and coherence of the knowledge base is increasing.
In this paper we intend to discuss the relationship between long term development trajectories, w... more In this paper we intend to discuss the relationship between long term development trajectories, which in principle can be expected to affect the functioning of all economic systems, and the deviations which can be expected to occur at a local level in particular countries or regions. We will first discuss this relationship at a very general level in terms of the forces and factors which can affect the convergence and divergence of separate but interacting economic systems at the national or regional level. Subsequently we will analyse the implications of the different existing theories of international trade for the convergence of divergence of the economic systems of different countries . Finally we will take into account the trajectories which can be empirically identified in long run economic development and the deviations which can be detected in particular countries.
A questão do conhecimento está se tornando cada vez mais um importante determinante do desempenho... more A questão do conhecimento está se tornando cada vez mais um importante determinante do desempenho das firmas. Este fato é especialmente importante no caso dos setores baseados em biotecnologia. Apesar da crescente importância do conhecimento, sabemos muito pouco sobre a natureza e as propriedades do conhecimento dentro das firmas. Neste artigo discute-se, em primeiro lugar, questões associadas à dinâmica da criação e utilização do conhecimento e, em seguida — usando-se algumas técnicas que serão apresentadas no decorrer no artigo — como se pode medir e mapear este conhecimento. A base tecnológica das firmas pode ser definida como o conhecimento que as firmas usam para atingir seus propósitos produtivos. Seu caráter agregado deriva do fato de que a base tecnológica resulta do conhecimento dos membros individuais de uma firma, bem como de suas interações, como determinado pela estrutura organizacional da firma. Desta forma, a base tecnológica da firma inclui todos os tipos de conhecim...
ABSTRACT Firms are becoming increasingly knowledge intensive but we know very little about the wa... more ABSTRACT Firms are becoming increasingly knowledge intensive but we know very little about the ways in which they create and use knowledge. In this paper, we provide a representation of the knowledge base of a firm, defined as the collective knowledge that a firm can use to produce marketable outputs. Here the knowledge base (KB) of the firm will be mapped using patent statistics. In particular, we study the strategic reorientation and subsequent merger of Rhone Poulenc and of Hoechst. Starting from the EPO database, we select the patents of the two firms for the period 1990-1998. We study the changes taking place in the KBs of the two firms, both by patent statistics and by lexicographic analysis. The latter technique allows us to create a map representing the technological classes contained in the patents of the two firms and their links. In our representation, the KB takes the form of a network with technological classes as nodes and with links determined by the co-occurrence of given key words in different technological classes. The networks representing the KBs of the two firms change in the course of time following their strategic decisions. Our objective is to provide conceptual and operational definitions of the KBs of the firms and to analyse the role that the KBs play in the strategic reorientation of the two firms and in their subsequent merger. Central questions concern how the KBs of Hoechst and Rhone Poulenc changed as a consequence of their re-orientation towards the life sciences, and how the nature of the KBs of the two firms influenced the merger. Also, how did the KBs of the two firms change following the merger? What effect would the new KB have on the decision to separate (or not) the agrochemical and pharmaceutical divisions?
Abstract The fundamental question underlying this paper is whether countries differentiate during... more Abstract The fundamental question underlying this paper is whether countries differentiate during economic development. In particular, the paper explores the role of export variety in catching up processes. Two types of frontier are defined here: an economic frontier, based on GDP per capita, and an export variety frontier based on the country with the highest export variety. We show that for most countries export variety is a determinant of their ability to grow and to catch up with the most advanced countries. Furthermore, we show that the rate of growth of GDP per capita and of export variety vary inversely with their distance from the two above frontiers, thus providing interesting evidence in favor of the advantages of backwardness hypothesis. An exception to this general finding is represented by countries which are very rich in natural resources but which have poorly developed institutions and technology. This is not a confirmation of the curse of natural resources hypothesis...
In this paper we intend to discuss the relationship between long term development trajectories, w... more In this paper we intend to discuss the relationship between long term development trajectories, which in principle can be expected to affect the functioning of all economic systems, and the deviations which can be expected to occur at a local level in particular countries or regions. We will first discuss this relationship at a very general level in terms of the forces and factors which can affect the convergence and divergence of separate but interacting economic systems at the national or regional level. Subsequently we will analyse the implications of the different existing theories of international trade for the convergence of divergence of the economic systems of different countries . Finally we will take into account the trajectories which can be empirically identified in long run economic development and the deviations which can be detected in particular countries Presented at GLOBELICS 2009, 7th International Conference, 6-8 October, Dakar, Senegal. Parallel session 1: Expla...
* Les auteurs tiennent à remercier le rapporteur anonyme pour ses remarques constructives. Les er... more * Les auteurs tiennent à remercier le rapporteur anonyme pour ses remarques constructives. Les erreurs qui subsistent sont de la seule responsabilité des auteurs.
: The economics of innovation has addressed two main issues, respectively regarding the types of ... more : The economics of innovation has addressed two main issues, respectively regarding the types of knowledge (scientific, technological) required in innovation, and the organisation of R&D. Drawing heavily on the central significance of R&D activities, such premises do not provide convincing explanations of other kinds of innovation that do not systematically draw on R&D efforts. We argue that innovation in SME's is critically related to individual members of the firm. Indeed, individuals embody two types of competencies, respectively component and architectural ones. While component competencies are linked to specific scientific or technological skills, architectural competencies deeply shape the innovation process by enhancing new combinations of existing component competencies. We further develop this framework by applying it to both high tech and low tech sectors. We show that architectural competencies are essential in the sense that they allow low tech SME's to innovate without per...
We examine the relationship between the characteristics of the firms' knowledge base in terms of ... more We examine the relationship between the characteristics of the firms' knowledge base in terms of knowledge capital and knowledge integration and the stock market value of 99 firms active in biotechnology during the nineties. Panel data regression models show that our measure of knowledge integration better explains the variance of a firm's market value than the more conventional variable of knowledge capital. This econometric relationship becomes stronger as the technology cycle reaches more mature phases. Meanwhile, profitable and research-intensive firms reach higher levels of market value.
This paper examines the relationship between the coherence of the knowledge base and the innovati... more This paper examines the relationship between the coherence of the knowledge base and the innovative productivity of bio-pharmaceutical firms. Using patent technological classes, we develop measures of the coherence and the scope of the firms' knowledge base. These variables constitute two original inputs in the traditional knowledge production function, additional to those of internal research spending and external knowledge flows. Poisson regressions show a strong link between the coherence of the knowledge base and the firms' innovative performance. Pharmaceutical firms experience decreasing returns to scale in research, while intra-sectoral knowledge flows positively nourish the firms' innovation performance. As biotechnology becomes more mature, knowledge flows tend to become uniform throughout different industries. In the meantime, the effect of coherence is significantly increasing, while that of the scope of the knowledge base and of research efforts are substantially decreasing. In the nineties, the coherent organisation of the knowledge base is a prominent condition for superior innovative performance.
We examine the relationship between the characteristics of the firms' knowledge base in ... more We examine the relationship between the characteristics of the firms' knowledge base in terms of knowledge capital and knowledge integration and the stock market value of 84 firms active in biotechnology during the 1990s. Panel data regression models show that the degree of knowledge integration within firms is a significant explanatory variable of firms' stock market value. Moreover, knowledge integration becomes an increasingly important determinant of market value, which illustrates the growing integration of biotechnology in several industrial applications. However, the role of knowledge is sector specific, revealing differences in the extent to which biotechnology has become a key technology. Copyright 2006, Oxford University Press.
Based on a survey of the inventors of 9,017 European patented inventions, this paper provides new... more Based on a survey of the inventors of 9,017 European patented inventions, this paper provides new information about the characteristics of European inventors, the sources of their knowledge, the importance of formal and informal collaborations, the motivations to invent, and the actual use and economic value of the patents.
We use US Patent Statistics to depict national patterns of technology accumulation in Japan and E... more We use US Patent Statistics to depict national patterns of technology accumulation in Japan and EU countries. Two properties of country profiles are confirmed, namely, stability over time with a country and differentiation across countries. The main novelty introduced here is the combined analysis of overall technological advantage, performance in fast growing areas and impact. The results show that in many areas of technology in which EU countries have an overall relative advantage, their performance in the subfields of highest technological opportunity is weak. On the other hand, Japan seems to have a consistent level of performance both in aggregate and in fast growing areas.
... add to the evidence on wide dispersion in productivity and profitability and their persistenc... more ... add to the evidence on wide dispersion in productivity and profitability and their persistence over time (Bottazzi et al., 2008; Bellone et al ... As Schumpeter (and before him Adam Smith and Karl Marx) emphasised, private incentives to undertake expensive activities of search of ...
Face au ralentissement des ventes de véhicules, le « Pacte automobile » mobilise 9 milliards d'eu... more Face au ralentissement des ventes de véhicules, le « Pacte automobile » mobilise 9 milliards d'euros pour venir en aide aux constructeurs français. L'enjeu est triple : soutenir à court terme la demande et l'emploi, assurer l'avenir d'une industrie stratégique au regard des technologies mobilisées, contribuer au développement de véhicules propres. En finançant la recherche et en facilitant le crédit, le Pacte permet aux constructeurs français de dégager des marges de manoeuvre pour leur trésorerie. Cet effet positif pourrait n'être que transitoire. La chute de la demande a une dimension structurelle qui peut faire douter de la capacité du Pacte à la relancer. Les coûts associés à des surcapacités durables peuvent être rédhibitoires. Il n'en demeure pas moins que des moyens doivent être déployés pour favoriser le développement des nouvelles technologies et les restructurations nécessaires. C'est à l'aune de cet objectif que sera jugé l'efficacité du Pacte. Dans ce contexte, le Pacte a le mérite d'engager un débat sur la définition d'une politique industrielle européenne.
The 11th International Joseph A. Schumpeter Society Conference was held at the University of Nice... more The 11th International Joseph A. Schumpeter Society Conference was held at the University of Nice - Sophia-Antipolis, France, during June 2124, 2006. The general theme was 'Schumpeterian Perspectives on Innovation, Competition and Growth'. Recent developments in ...
We examine the relationship between the coherence of the knowledge base and the innovative perfor... more We examine the relationship between the coherence of the knowledge base and the innovative performance of US pharmaceutical firms during the nineties. We develop measures of the coherence and scope of firms' knowledge base. Count data regression models show a strong link between these two properties and firms' innovative performance. Firms experience decreasing returns to scale in research but larger firms enjoy a significant size advantage in innovation. Knowledge flows are necessary in knowledge production but not sufficient to secure its quality. Over time, the contribution of the scope and coherence of the knowledge base is increasing.
In this paper we intend to discuss the relationship between long term development trajectories, w... more In this paper we intend to discuss the relationship between long term development trajectories, which in principle can be expected to affect the functioning of all economic systems, and the deviations which can be expected to occur at a local level in particular countries or regions. We will first discuss this relationship at a very general level in terms of the forces and factors which can affect the convergence and divergence of separate but interacting economic systems at the national or regional level. Subsequently we will analyse the implications of the different existing theories of international trade for the convergence of divergence of the economic systems of different countries . Finally we will take into account the trajectories which can be empirically identified in long run economic development and the deviations which can be detected in particular countries.
A questão do conhecimento está se tornando cada vez mais um importante determinante do desempenho... more A questão do conhecimento está se tornando cada vez mais um importante determinante do desempenho das firmas. Este fato é especialmente importante no caso dos setores baseados em biotecnologia. Apesar da crescente importância do conhecimento, sabemos muito pouco sobre a natureza e as propriedades do conhecimento dentro das firmas. Neste artigo discute-se, em primeiro lugar, questões associadas à dinâmica da criação e utilização do conhecimento e, em seguida — usando-se algumas técnicas que serão apresentadas no decorrer no artigo — como se pode medir e mapear este conhecimento. A base tecnológica das firmas pode ser definida como o conhecimento que as firmas usam para atingir seus propósitos produtivos. Seu caráter agregado deriva do fato de que a base tecnológica resulta do conhecimento dos membros individuais de uma firma, bem como de suas interações, como determinado pela estrutura organizacional da firma. Desta forma, a base tecnológica da firma inclui todos os tipos de conhecim...
ABSTRACT Firms are becoming increasingly knowledge intensive but we know very little about the wa... more ABSTRACT Firms are becoming increasingly knowledge intensive but we know very little about the ways in which they create and use knowledge. In this paper, we provide a representation of the knowledge base of a firm, defined as the collective knowledge that a firm can use to produce marketable outputs. Here the knowledge base (KB) of the firm will be mapped using patent statistics. In particular, we study the strategic reorientation and subsequent merger of Rhone Poulenc and of Hoechst. Starting from the EPO database, we select the patents of the two firms for the period 1990-1998. We study the changes taking place in the KBs of the two firms, both by patent statistics and by lexicographic analysis. The latter technique allows us to create a map representing the technological classes contained in the patents of the two firms and their links. In our representation, the KB takes the form of a network with technological classes as nodes and with links determined by the co-occurrence of given key words in different technological classes. The networks representing the KBs of the two firms change in the course of time following their strategic decisions. Our objective is to provide conceptual and operational definitions of the KBs of the firms and to analyse the role that the KBs play in the strategic reorientation of the two firms and in their subsequent merger. Central questions concern how the KBs of Hoechst and Rhone Poulenc changed as a consequence of their re-orientation towards the life sciences, and how the nature of the KBs of the two firms influenced the merger. Also, how did the KBs of the two firms change following the merger? What effect would the new KB have on the decision to separate (or not) the agrochemical and pharmaceutical divisions?
Abstract The fundamental question underlying this paper is whether countries differentiate during... more Abstract The fundamental question underlying this paper is whether countries differentiate during economic development. In particular, the paper explores the role of export variety in catching up processes. Two types of frontier are defined here: an economic frontier, based on GDP per capita, and an export variety frontier based on the country with the highest export variety. We show that for most countries export variety is a determinant of their ability to grow and to catch up with the most advanced countries. Furthermore, we show that the rate of growth of GDP per capita and of export variety vary inversely with their distance from the two above frontiers, thus providing interesting evidence in favor of the advantages of backwardness hypothesis. An exception to this general finding is represented by countries which are very rich in natural resources but which have poorly developed institutions and technology. This is not a confirmation of the curse of natural resources hypothesis...
In this paper we intend to discuss the relationship between long term development trajectories, w... more In this paper we intend to discuss the relationship between long term development trajectories, which in principle can be expected to affect the functioning of all economic systems, and the deviations which can be expected to occur at a local level in particular countries or regions. We will first discuss this relationship at a very general level in terms of the forces and factors which can affect the convergence and divergence of separate but interacting economic systems at the national or regional level. Subsequently we will analyse the implications of the different existing theories of international trade for the convergence of divergence of the economic systems of different countries . Finally we will take into account the trajectories which can be empirically identified in long run economic development and the deviations which can be detected in particular countries Presented at GLOBELICS 2009, 7th International Conference, 6-8 October, Dakar, Senegal. Parallel session 1: Expla...
* Les auteurs tiennent à remercier le rapporteur anonyme pour ses remarques constructives. Les er... more * Les auteurs tiennent à remercier le rapporteur anonyme pour ses remarques constructives. Les erreurs qui subsistent sont de la seule responsabilité des auteurs.
: The economics of innovation has addressed two main issues, respectively regarding the types of ... more : The economics of innovation has addressed two main issues, respectively regarding the types of knowledge (scientific, technological) required in innovation, and the organisation of R&D. Drawing heavily on the central significance of R&D activities, such premises do not provide convincing explanations of other kinds of innovation that do not systematically draw on R&D efforts. We argue that innovation in SME's is critically related to individual members of the firm. Indeed, individuals embody two types of competencies, respectively component and architectural ones. While component competencies are linked to specific scientific or technological skills, architectural competencies deeply shape the innovation process by enhancing new combinations of existing component competencies. We further develop this framework by applying it to both high tech and low tech sectors. We show that architectural competencies are essential in the sense that they allow low tech SME's to innovate without per...
We examine the relationship between the characteristics of the firms' knowledge base in terms of ... more We examine the relationship between the characteristics of the firms' knowledge base in terms of knowledge capital and knowledge integration and the stock market value of 99 firms active in biotechnology during the nineties. Panel data regression models show that our measure of knowledge integration better explains the variance of a firm's market value than the more conventional variable of knowledge capital. This econometric relationship becomes stronger as the technology cycle reaches more mature phases. Meanwhile, profitable and research-intensive firms reach higher levels of market value.
This paper examines the relationship between the coherence of the knowledge base and the innovati... more This paper examines the relationship between the coherence of the knowledge base and the innovative productivity of bio-pharmaceutical firms. Using patent technological classes, we develop measures of the coherence and the scope of the firms' knowledge base. These variables constitute two original inputs in the traditional knowledge production function, additional to those of internal research spending and external knowledge flows. Poisson regressions show a strong link between the coherence of the knowledge base and the firms' innovative performance. Pharmaceutical firms experience decreasing returns to scale in research, while intra-sectoral knowledge flows positively nourish the firms' innovation performance. As biotechnology becomes more mature, knowledge flows tend to become uniform throughout different industries. In the meantime, the effect of coherence is significantly increasing, while that of the scope of the knowledge base and of research efforts are substantially decreasing. In the nineties, the coherent organisation of the knowledge base is a prominent condition for superior innovative performance.
We examine the relationship between the characteristics of the firms' knowledge base in ... more We examine the relationship between the characteristics of the firms' knowledge base in terms of knowledge capital and knowledge integration and the stock market value of 84 firms active in biotechnology during the 1990s. Panel data regression models show that the degree of knowledge integration within firms is a significant explanatory variable of firms' stock market value. Moreover, knowledge integration becomes an increasingly important determinant of market value, which illustrates the growing integration of biotechnology in several industrial applications. However, the role of knowledge is sector specific, revealing differences in the extent to which biotechnology has become a key technology. Copyright 2006, Oxford University Press.
Based on a survey of the inventors of 9,017 European patented inventions, this paper provides new... more Based on a survey of the inventors of 9,017 European patented inventions, this paper provides new information about the characteristics of European inventors, the sources of their knowledge, the importance of formal and informal collaborations, the motivations to invent, and the actual use and economic value of the patents.
We use US Patent Statistics to depict national patterns of technology accumulation in Japan and E... more We use US Patent Statistics to depict national patterns of technology accumulation in Japan and EU countries. Two properties of country profiles are confirmed, namely, stability over time with a country and differentiation across countries. The main novelty introduced here is the combined analysis of overall technological advantage, performance in fast growing areas and impact. The results show that in many areas of technology in which EU countries have an overall relative advantage, their performance in the subfields of highest technological opportunity is weak. On the other hand, Japan seems to have a consistent level of performance both in aggregate and in fast growing areas.
... add to the evidence on wide dispersion in productivity and profitability and their persistenc... more ... add to the evidence on wide dispersion in productivity and profitability and their persistence over time (Bottazzi et al., 2008; Bellone et al ... As Schumpeter (and before him Adam Smith and Karl Marx) emphasised, private incentives to undertake expensive activities of search of ...
Face au ralentissement des ventes de véhicules, le « Pacte automobile » mobilise 9 milliards d'eu... more Face au ralentissement des ventes de véhicules, le « Pacte automobile » mobilise 9 milliards d'euros pour venir en aide aux constructeurs français. L'enjeu est triple : soutenir à court terme la demande et l'emploi, assurer l'avenir d'une industrie stratégique au regard des technologies mobilisées, contribuer au développement de véhicules propres. En finançant la recherche et en facilitant le crédit, le Pacte permet aux constructeurs français de dégager des marges de manoeuvre pour leur trésorerie. Cet effet positif pourrait n'être que transitoire. La chute de la demande a une dimension structurelle qui peut faire douter de la capacité du Pacte à la relancer. Les coûts associés à des surcapacités durables peuvent être rédhibitoires. Il n'en demeure pas moins que des moyens doivent être déployés pour favoriser le développement des nouvelles technologies et les restructurations nécessaires. C'est à l'aune de cet objectif que sera jugé l'efficacité du Pacte. Dans ce contexte, le Pacte a le mérite d'engager un débat sur la définition d'une politique industrielle européenne.
The 11th International Joseph A. Schumpeter Society Conference was held at the University of Nice... more The 11th International Joseph A. Schumpeter Society Conference was held at the University of Nice - Sophia-Antipolis, France, during June 2124, 2006. The general theme was 'Schumpeterian Perspectives on Innovation, Competition and Growth'. Recent developments in ...
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