Geographic Localization of International Technology Diffusion

Wolfgang Keller

American Economic Review, 2002, vol. 92, issue 1, 120-142

Abstract: Income convergence across countries turns on whether technological knowledge spillovers are global or local. I estimate the amount of spillovers from R&D expenditures on a geographic basis, using a new data set which encompasses most of the world's innovative activity between 1970 and 1995. I find that technology is to a substantial degree local, not global, as the benefits from spillovers are declining with distance. The distance at which the amount of spillovers is halved is about 1,200 kilometers. I also find that over time, technological knowledge has become considerably more global. Moreover, language skills are important for spillover diffusion. (JEL F0, O1, O3)

Date: 2002
Note: DOI: 10.1257/000282802760015630
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (601)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.aeaweb.org/articles.php?doi=10.1257/000282802760015630 (application/pdf)
Access to full text is restricted to AEA members and institutional subscribers.

Related works:
Working Paper: Geographic Localization of International Technology Diffusion (2001)
Working Paper: Geographic Localization of International Technology Diffusion (2000)
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aea:aecrev:v:92:y:2002:i:1:p:120-142

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.aeaweb.org/journals/subscriptions

Access Statistics for this article

American Economic Review is currently edited by Esther Duflo

More articles in American Economic Review from American Economic Association Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Michael P. Albert ().