PATENTS, FAMILY, AND SIZE. EVIDENCE FROM ITALIAN MANUFACTURING FIRMS

Francesco Aiello (), Paola Cardamone (), Lidia Mannarino () and Valeria Pupo ()
Additional contact information
Paola Cardamone: Department of Economics, Statistics and Finance 'Giovanni Anania', University of Calabria, Rende (Italy)
Lidia Mannarino: Department of Economics, Statistics and Finance 'Giovanni Anania', University of Calabria, Rende (Italy)
Valeria Pupo: Department of Economics, Statistics and Finance 'Giovanni Anania', University of Calabria, Rende (Italy)

No 202204, Working Papers from Università della Calabria, Dipartimento di Economia, Statistica e Finanza "Giovanni Anania" - DESF

Abstract: This study explores whether the probability to patent differ between family and non-family firms, and whether any potential difference between firm-type is moderated by size. The analysis is based on a large archive of patenting activities (Orbis–PATSTAT dataset) carried out by around 3700 Italian manufacturing firms over the 2010–2017 period. The results from a probability model show that, on average, family firms patent less than non-family firms (the estimated average marginal effect is -0.0325). Firm size matters, as its average marginal effect is 0.0212, suggesting that the probability of patenting increases with size, no matter the firm ownership. The size effect differs, however, between family and non-family firms. It is demonstrated not only that family firms remain less likely to patent than non-family firms, but also that their disadvantages increase as they grow in size: in large firms, the probability of patenting is 0.22 for family firms and 0.39 for non-family firms. Importantly, the results hold when considering patent counts, citations and a number of additional sensitivity tests.

Keywords: Family firms; Patenting activities; Firm size (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D22 L25 L60 O30 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 32 pages
Date: 2022-07
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-bec, nep-ent, nep-eur, nep-ino, nep-ipr, nep-sbm and nep-tid
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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http://www.ecostat.unical.it/RePEc/WorkingPapers/WP04_2022.pdf First version, 2022-07 (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: Patents, family, and size: evidence from Italian manufacturing firms (2024)
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