The Demise of Distance? The Declining Role of Physical Distance in Knowledge Transmission

Wellesley College Working Paper 2002-06

12 Pages Posted: 19 Oct 2002

See all articles by Daniel K. N. Johnson

Daniel K. N. Johnson

Colorado College - Department of Economics and Business; NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund

Date Written: September 2002

Abstract

The economics literature clearly shows that the transmission of knowledge diminishes with physical distance, a factor contributing to industrial clustering. This paper investigates how those distances have stretched over time. We measure the physical distance between collaborating inventors, as well as distances between inventors and the technology cited in their patents. There is an obvious change over time while controlling for other factors, and we present interesting implications about the distance-disolving effects of the communication revolution: firms and independent inventors benefit in distinctly different ways, while some states and technology classes are obvious winners over their peers.

JEL Classification: O30, O31, R30, D83

Suggested Citation

Johnson, Daniel Kent Neil, The Demise of Distance? The Declining Role of Physical Distance in Knowledge Transmission (September 2002). Wellesley College Working Paper 2002-06, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=330262 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.330262

Daniel Kent Neil Johnson (Contact Author)

Colorado College - Department of Economics and Business ( email )

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HOME PAGE: http://faculty1.coloradocollege.edu/~djohnson

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