Demographic patterns and trends in patenting: Gender, age, and education of inventors

Taehyun Jung and Olof Ejermo

Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2014, vol. 86, issue C, 110-124

Abstract: Using population-wide data on inventors and their demographic characteristics, the paper analyzes trends and patterns by technologies in age, the level of education, and gender gap. We find that the education level of inventors has risen over time. We also find that the gender gap is closing but at slower pace than in other comparable areas of society. Much to our surprise, the average age of inventors has been falling in all areas, despite rising levels of education. To explain the latter finding, we suggest three mechanisms as alternatives to the burden of knowledge argument: 1) the burden of dynamic knowledge renewal, 2) new technological opportunities, and 3) a generally increased propensity to patent. We discuss policy and managerial implications of our findings.

Keywords: Inventor; Patent; Gender; Age; Education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I23 J11 J16 J24 J44 O31 O34 O52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (67)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162513001911
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
Working Paper: Demographic patterns and trends in patenting: Gender, age, and education of inventors (2012)
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:eee:tefoso:v:86:y:2014:i:c:p:110-124

DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2013.08.023

Access Statistics for this article

Technological Forecasting and Social Change is currently edited by Fred Phillips

More articles in Technological Forecasting and Social Change from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().