Fueling the fire? How government support drives technological progress and complexity

Carolin Nast, Tom Broekel () and Doris Entner

Research Policy, 2024, vol. 53, issue 6

Abstract: This study investigated two major trends shaping contemporary technological progress: the growing complexity of innovation and the increasing reliance on government support for private research and development (R&D). We analyzed United States patent data from 1981 to 2016 using structural vector autoregressions and uncovered an indirect interplay between these trends. Our findings showed that government incentives and support played a crucial role in spurring private-sector innovation. This government-fueled innovation, in turn, paved the way for advancements in more intricate and sophisticated technological areas.

Keywords: Innovation; Patents; Technological complexity; Government R&D (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Working Paper: Fueling the Fire? How Government Support Drives Technological Progress and Complexity (2024)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:respol:v:53:y:2024:i:6:s0048733324000544

DOI: 10.1016/j.respol.2024.105005

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