No inventor is an island: social connectedness and the geography of knowledge flows in the US

Diemer, Andreas ORCID: 0000-0002-5193-7739 and Regan, Tanner Weldon Dean (2020) No inventor is an island: social connectedness and the geography of knowledge flows in the US. CEP Discussion Papers (CEPDP1731). London School of Economics and Political Science. Centre for Economic Performance, London, UK.

Text - Published Version Download (6MB)

• Author
• Author
• https://cep.lse.ac.uk/_new/publications/...

Abstract

Do informal social ties connecting inventors across distant places promote knowledge flows between them? To measure informal ties, we use a new and direct index of social connectedness of regions based on aggregate Facebook friendships. We use a well-established identification strategy that relies on matching inventor citations with citations from examiners. Moreover, we isolate the specific effect of informal connections, above and beyond formal professional ties (co-inventor networks) and geographic proximity. We identify a significant and robust effect of informal ties on patent citation. Further, we find that the effect of geographic proximity on knowledge flows is entirely explained by informal social ties and professional networks. We also show that the effect of informal social ties on knowledge flows: has become increasingly important over the last two decades, is higher for older or 'forgotten' patents, is more important for new entrepreneurs or 'garage inventors', and is somewhat stronger across distant technology fields.

Item Type:	Monograph (Discussion Paper)
Official URL:	https://cep.lse.ac.uk/_new/publications/discussion...
Additional Information:	© 2020 The Author(s)
Divisions:	Geography & Environment Centre for Economic Performance
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions H Social Sciences > HM Sociology
JEL classification:	O - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth > O3 - Technological Change; Research and Development > O33 - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes R - Urban, Rural, and Regional Economics > R1 - General Regional Economics > R12 - Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity; Interregional Trade Z - Other Special Topics > Z1 - Cultural Economics; Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology > Z13 - Social Norms and Social Capital; Social Networks
Date Deposited:	08 Mar 2024 12:36
Last Modified:	11 Dec 2024 19:53
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/121852

Actions (login required)

View Item