The Changing Geography of the International Diffusion of Technological Knowledge

Ernest Miguelez, Michele Pezzoni, Fabiana Visentin, Catalina Martínez, Reinhilde Veugelers and Julio Raffo

No 92, WIPO Economic Research Working Papers from World Intellectual Property Organization - Economics and Statistics Division

Abstract: This paper examines the evolving geography of international technological knowledge diffusion over the last four decades using multiple patent-based indicators. We first review the main mechanisms through which knowledge diffuses across borders—including trade and global value chains, foreign direct investment, skilled migration, global science, and markets for technology—highlighting their complementarities and the role of domestic capabilities. We then provide new empirical evidence based on cross-border patent citations, technological trajectories defined by IPC recombinations, patent-to-science linkages, and international patent families. The results reveal persistent asymmetries, with a small group of advanced economies remaining central knowledge hubs, alongside the rising role of emerging countries, especially China. Science-based technologies diffuse farther and faster, while capability constraints continue to limit integration for many regions.

Keywords: Technological knowledge diffusion; Geography; Patents; Citations; Technological trajectories; Science; Patent families (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F14 F23 O33 O34 R12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cse and nep-tid
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