Growth Through Heterogeneous Innovations

80 Pages Posted: 8 Nov 2010 Last revised: 6 Jun 2024

See all articles by Ufuk Akcigit

Ufuk Akcigit

University of Chicago - Department of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR)

William Kerr

Harvard University - Entrepreneurial Management Unit

Multiple version iconThere are 7 versions of this paper

Date Written: November 2010

Abstract

We study how exploration versus exploitation innovations impact economic growth through a tractable endogenous growth framework that contains multiple innovation sizes, multi-product firms, and entry/exit. Firms invest in exploration R&D to acquire new product lines and exploitation R&D to improve their existing product lines. We model and show empirically that exploration R&D does not scale as strongly with firm size as exploitation R&D. The resulting framework conforms to many regularities regarding innovation and growth differences across the firm size distribution. We also incorporate patent citations into our theoretical framework. The framework generates a simple test using patent citations that indicates that entrants and small firms have relatively higher growth spillover effects.

Suggested Citation

Akcigit, Ufuk and Kerr, William R., Growth Through Heterogeneous Innovations (November 2010). NBER Working Paper No. w16443, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1703304

Ufuk Akcigit (Contact Author)

University of Chicago - Department of Economics ( email )

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National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) ( email )

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Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) ( email )

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William R. Kerr

Harvard University - Entrepreneurial Management Unit ( email )

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Boston, MA 02163
United States

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