nep-ino New Economics Papers
on Innovation
Issue of 2025–12–08
six papers chosen by
Uwe Cantner, University of Jena


  1. Towards a Sustainable Digital Economy: The Role of Knowledge Search in Green Innovation By Kim, Chang Hyun; Lee, Kyung Yul; Kwon, Youngsun
  2. Patents and the business strategies of digital platforms: A comparative analysis of the patent portfolios of large digital platforms By Damásio, Bruno; Silva, Eduardo; Mendonça, Sandro
  3. Many names, many gains? How local diversity in Germany affects innovation By Kremer, Anna
  4. Exploration in Research Teams: Building on the Shoulders of PhD Students By Raffaele Miniaci; Michele Pezzoni; Sotaro Shibayama
  5. Mapping Knowledge Networks for Climate Adaptation: Innovation and Exchange Among Local Authorities By Van Wolleghem, Pierre; Soares, Marta Bruno; Puga-Gonzalez, Ivan; Shults, LeRon
  6. Unraveling the Drivers of Energy-saving Technical Change By Diego R. Känzig; Charles T. Williamson

  1. By: Kim, Chang Hyun; Lee, Kyung Yul; Kwon, Youngsun
    Abstract: This study explores how knowledge search depth and breadth in green patenting influence environmental innovation in the mobile industry, a sector facing increasing scrutiny for its environmental impact. Using a panel of 42 mobile firms from 2001 to 2023, we find that search depth exhibits an inverted U-shaped relationship with green innovation, suggesting that while leveraging internal knowledge initially boosts environmental innovation, excessive reliance can hinder progress due to organizational rigidity. Conversely, search breadth demonstrates a consistently positive effect, indicating that expanding external knowledge sources enhances a firm's capacity for sustainable innovation. These findings underscore the strategic importance of balancing internal and external knowledge strategies to foster green innovation in the mobile sector.
    Keywords: Green Innovation, Knowledge Search, Mobile Industry, Sustainability
    Date: 2025
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:itse25:331286
  2. By: Damásio, Bruno; Silva, Eduardo; Mendonça, Sandro
    Abstract: Recent years have recorded a growth in the number of patent applications filed by digital platforms. This paper argues that by profiling these patent portfolios, we can obtain insightful patterns on platforms' business and innovation strategies. For this purpose, we build a dataset of over 380, 000 patent applications filed at least by one of ten large US and Chinese digital platforms between 1986 and 2024. A significant rise in patent activity has taken shape since 2012, largely due to an impressive number of applications filed by Chinese platforms. Platforms tend to patent alone and concentrate their patenting activity on computer technology and electric communication, with machine learning being an overarching theme. However, some platforms like Apple pursue the development of a diversified patent portfolio, while others build one more specialized and aligned with their core business. Additionally, platform applications receive a significant number of citations, despite a skewed distribution which is only slightly challenged by Apple. Finally, applications by Chinese platforms have a more limited international protection when compared to their American counterparts, as attested by their patent family sizes.
    Keywords: patents, digital platforms, portfolio, China
    Date: 2025
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:itse25:331264
  3. By: Kremer, Anna
    Abstract: Meeting others with different backgrounds brings up new ideas. This paper shows that this not only matters for a background in heterogeneous industries or nationalities, but that regional differences matter too. Regions within a country vary in their traditions and culture. Cultural homogeneity within regions becomes mixed due to internal migration, which, like international migration, increases the diversity of a place. In a novel approach, I look at diversity in German municipalities, measured by different family names, and investigate its effect on the number of generated patents. I use a unique dataset from a 1996 phonebook and casualty lists from WWI. There is a positive association between innovation and diversity when defined by the share of new names, a deconcentration measure, or a Shannon index. Causality is established by using instrumental variables estimations with historical borders. I show that intra-country diversity affects patenting positively and conclude that regional differences matter for economic outcomes.
    Keywords: cultural diversity, innovation, family names, patents, local level, Germany
    JEL: R11 O30 Z13
    Date: 2025
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:tudcep:333401
  4. By: Raffaele Miniaci (University of Brescia, Italy); Michele Pezzoni (Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, GREDEG, France; Observatoire des Sciences et Techniques, HCERES, Paris, France); Sotaro Shibayama (The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan)
    Abstract: Exploration is a critical input for creativity and innovation. This paper aims to investigate how the innovator and her team's exploration activities boost the innovator's performance. In our empirical context, the innovator is a French professor at the university, and her team consists of her PhD students. We study 14, 978 research teams, led by an equivalent number of supervisors. Supervisors and students can explore by investigating research subjects that the supervisor has not previously investigated. Moreover, the direction of their exploration can be more or less aligned. We measure exploration by assessing the similarity of students' and supervisors' research documents using text analysis. Our regression analyses find that both supervisors' and students' exploration activities play a role in determining the supervisors' performance, as measured by publication quantity, impact, and novelty. We show that an optimal combination of exploration activities and alignment yields considerably higher supervisor performance compared to the average. Our results support the idea that PhD students' exploration activities are of paramount importance to their supervisors' performance, and that supervisors should pay close attention when assigning students' thesis subjects.
    Keywords: Research teams; Student exploration; Supervisor exploration; Scientific performance; Text analysis algorithm; Science of science
    JEL: I20 O30
    Date: 2025–12
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:gre:wpaper:2025-49
  5. By: Van Wolleghem, Pierre; Soares, Marta Bruno; Puga-Gonzalez, Ivan; Shults, LeRon
    Abstract: As climate change intensifies, European local authorities (LAs) face growing pressure to adapt effectively. This article explores how LAs acquire and disseminate climate and policy knowledge, with a focus on their participation in EU-funded Research and Innovation (R&I) projects and Transnational Municipal Networks (TMNs). We map over 500 LAs involved in climate-related R&I projects and nearly 14, 000 LAs participating in 12 TMNs. Social Network Analysis (SNA) is used to identify influential hubs, LAs that have potential to both generate and spread adaptation knowledge. We find considerable variation in participation across LAs, both in R&I projects and TMN membership. Cities like Lisbon, Milan, and Tampere emerge as potential “super-spreaders”, displaying high centrality and the potential to bridge otherwise disconnected parts of the European network.
    Date: 2025–11–25
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:erxqg_v1
  6. By: Diego R. Känzig; Charles T. Williamson
    Abstract: We explore the increasing divergence between economic growth and energy consumption through energy-saving technical progress. Proposing a new measure of energy-saving technology, we study the underlying drivers in a semi-structural model of the U.S. economy. Our analysis shows that energy price shocks reduce consumption and stimulate energy-saving innovation, but also cause economic downturns and crowd out other innovations. Only energy-saving technology shocks can explain the negative co-movement between output and energy use. These sudden efficiency gains emerge as the primary driver of energy-saving technical change. Our findings highlight the importance of fostering energy-saving innovations in transitioning to a low-carbon economy.
    JEL: E0 O30 Q32 Q43 Q55
    Date: 2025–11
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:34511

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