Growth Through Heterogeneous Innovations

80 Pages Posted: 3 Jul 2012

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: June 1, 2012

Abstract

We study how exploration versus exploitation innovations impact economic growth through a tractable endogenous growth framework that contains multiple innovation sizes, multiproduct 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.

Keywords: Endogenous Growth, Innovation, Exploration, Exploitation, Research and Development, Patents, Citations, Scientists, Entrepreneurs

JEL Classification: O31, O33, O41, L16

Suggested Citation

Akcigit, Ufuk and Kerr, William R., Growth Through Heterogeneous Innovations (June 1, 2012). US Census Bureau Center for Economic Studies Paper No. CES-WP- 12-08, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2096240 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2096240

Ufuk Akcigit

University of Chicago - Department of Economics ( email )

1126 E. 59th St
Chicago, IL 60637
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.ufukakcigit.com

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) ( email )

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

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

London
United Kingdom

William R. Kerr (Contact Author)

Harvard University - Entrepreneurial Management Unit ( email )

Soldiers Field Road
Morgan 270C
Boston, MA 02163
United States

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