Research Productivity and Patent Quality: Measurement with Multiple Indicators

Mark Schankerman and Jean Lanjouw

No 3623, CEPR Discussion Papers from C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers

Abstract: We analyse the determinants of the decline in measured research productivity (the patent/R&D ratio) using panel data on manufacturing firms in the US for the period 1980-93. We focus on three factors: the level of demand, the quality of patents, and technological exhaustion. We first develop an index of patent ?quality? using detailed information on patents in the US in seven technology fields. Using a factor model, we construct a minimum-variance index based on four patent characteristics and show that using multiple indicators substantially reduces the measured variance in quality. We then show that research productivity at the firm level is negatively related to the patent quality index and the level of demand, as predicted by an optimizing model of R&D, and positively related to the stock market valuation of patented innovations held by firms.

Keywords: Patent quality; R&d productivity; Technological exhaustion; Market value (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O31 O32 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2002-10
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dev
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Research Productivity and Patent Quality: Measurement with Multiple Indicators (2002)
Working Paper: Research productivity and patent quality: measurement with multiple indicators (2002)
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