Path dependence and regional lock-in: an analysis using patent self-citations

Beatriz Almeida, Eduardo Gonçalves () and Raquel Reis ()
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Eduardo Gonçalves: Federal University of Juiz de Fora
Raquel Reis: Federal University of Juiz de Fora

Economics Bulletin, 2019, vol. 39, issue 4, 2865-2874

Abstract: Patent citation data has been used to track the flow of knowledge between firms and regions. However, patent self-citations are mostly excluded from studies because they do not represent knowledge spillovers. This paper proposes the use of self-citations as indicators of path-dependence and lock-in since they reveal the regional accumulation of knowledge in certain technological areas. The results indicate that regions which have more self-citations may be in a positive or negative lock-in process. Self-citations may measure a natural path dependent trajectory, which is the case of the dynamic and innovative regions but they may also indicate a myopic process of old industrial regions.

Keywords: path dependence; lock-in; patent self-citations; regional inventions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O1 R1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019-12-11
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