摘要：Patent citation data has been used to track the flow of knowledge between firms and regions. However, patent selfcitations
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.
