摘要：This paper investigates the determinants of EPO (European Patent Office) patent applications per capita using a panel of 22 OECD countries for the period of 1980-1999 with data measured as fiveyear averages.The patent production function is specified as a partial adjustment model and is estimated using system and first-differenced GMM (generalised method of moments) estimators.Estimates using system GMM estimators show a moderate degree of persistence in EPO patents per capita with an adjustment rate of around 25 percent between the five-year averages.Specialization in information and communication technology (ICT) patents has a significant and positive impact on EPO patents per capita.An increase in business enterprise R&D (BERD) expenditures is more effective in generating patent applications than public sector R&D with long-run elasticities of 1.04 and 0.24,respectively.The remaining variables,such as the strength of patent protection,human capital intensity and GDP per capita,are significantly positively related to EPO patents per capita in the static panel data model but are no longer significantly positive in the dynamic panel data model.Finally,we do not find any impact of the share of publicly financed industrial R&D as well as export performance of high-technology products on EPO patent applications per capita.
关键词：This paper investigates the determinants of EPO (European Patent Office) patent applications per capita using a panel of 22 OECD countries for the period of 1980-1999 with data measured as fiveyear averages.The patent production function is specified as a partial adjustment model and is estimated using system and first-differenced GMM (generalised method of moments) estimators.Estimates using system GMM estimators show a moderate degree of persistence in EPO patents per capita with an adjustment rate of around 25 percent between the five-year averages.Specialization in information and communication technology (ICT) patents has a significant and positive impact on EPO patents per capita.An increase in business enterprise R&D (BERD) expenditures is more effective in generating patent applications than public sector R&D with long-run elasticities of 1.04 and 0.24,respectively.The remaining variables,such as the strength of patent protection,human capital intensity and GDP per capita,are significantly positively related to EPO patents per capita in the static panel data model but are no longer significantly positive in the dynamic panel data model.Finally,we do not find any impact of the share of publicly financed industrial R&D as well as export performance of high-technology products on EPO patent applications per capita.
