| Abstract: |
This research aims to analyze the collaboration networks associated with the
processes of invention and patenting in Latin American countries between 1970
and 2017. To do so, we apply social network analysis techniques to a rich
database containing information from patents developed by Latin American
inventors and registered in the USPTO during such period. We build and analyze
three types of collaboration networks: networks of inventors, networks of
innovators (i.e. patent owners) and networks of countries in the region. The
study of the structural properties and the evolution of such networks allow us
to present unprecedented empirical evidence on the forms of interaction and
collaboration to invent in Latin America. This evidence shows that
collaboration networks in Latin America are highly fragmented and
disconnected. Moreover, networks are notoriously foreign-oriented, i.e. the
linkages with external nodes are critical compared to the low presence of
local connections. Major differences among the countries of the region can be
observed, which allow us to identify different behaviors according to how much
they use the patent system and the relative development of the national
networks. In a region which has been historically characterized by high
heterogeneity, this research allows recognizing specific patterns of
innovation at the national level. In sum, the contributions of the paper are
three fold. First, it presents novel empirical findings with unique
information on interaction patterns at the Latin American level. Second, it
allows analyzing the whole region and the main trends in the light of the
large research background on invention and development from this region.
Finally, it discusses some stylized facts in national cases, with the aim of
encouraging new research questions for further research agenda. |