nep-sog 2005-06-27 papers

on Sociology of Economics

Issue of 2005‒06‒27
two papers chosen by
Jonas Holmström
Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration

The Scientific Productivity of Academic Inventors: New Evidence From Italian Data By Stefano Breschi; Francesco Lissoni; Fabio Montobbio
If Star Scientists do not Patent: an Event History Analysis of Scientific Eminence and the Decision to Patent in the Academic World By Mario Calderini; Chiara Franzoni; Andrea Vezzulli

The Scientific Productivity of Academic Inventors: New Evidence From Italian Data

By:	Stefano Breschi (CESPRI, Università Bocconi, Milano); Francesco Lissoni (CESPRI, Università Bocconi, Milano and University of Brescia, Italy); Fabio Montobbio (CESPRI, Università Bocconi, Milano and Università of Insubria, Varese, Italy)
Abstract:	We investigate the scientific productivity of Italian academic inventors, namely academic researchers designated as inventors on patent applications to the European Patent Office, 1978-1999. We use a new longitudinal data set comprising 299 academic inventors, and as many matching controls (non-patenting researchers). We enquire whether a trade-off between publishing and patenting, or a trade-off between basic and applied research exists, on the basis of the number and quality of publications. We find no trace of such a trade- off, and find instead a strong and positive relationship between patenting and publishing, even in basic science. Our results suggest however that it is not patenting per se that boosts scientific productivity, but the advantage derived from solid links with industry, as the strongest correlation between publishing and patenting activity is found when patents are owned by business partners, rather than individual scientists or their universities.
Keywords:	Scientific productivity; Academic inventors; University patenting
JEL:	O34 O31
Date:	2005–05
URL:	http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cri:cespri:wp168&r=sog

If Star Scientists do not Patent: an Event History Analysis of Scientific Eminence and the Decision to Patent in the Academic World

By:	Mario Calderini (DSPEA, Polytechnic of Turin, Italy); Chiara Franzoni (University of Bergamo and CERIS (CNR), Italy); Andrea Vezzulli (Department of Economics, University of Milan, Italy)
Abstract:	This paper contributes to the debate upon the trade-off between science and technology by looking at how the scientific performances of a researcher relate ex-ante to his/her attitude to patent, during his/her academic career. We run an event history analysis explaining the hazard for a scientist to become the inventor of a private-company -assigned patent as depending on publications and on personal, institutional and environmental characteristics. A striking result is that, although either productivity or quality, independently taken, are likely to increase the hazard to patent, top performers scientists, i.e. those scientists that publish a lot on highly-rated journals, are at very low risk.
Keywords:	Academic patenting; Research funding; Technology transfer
JEL:	O31 O34 O38
Date:	2005–06
URL:	http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cri:cespri:wp169&r=sog

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