Conservative Media, Inventor Mobility, and Corporate Innovation

59 Pages Posted: 22 Jun 2021 Last revised: 2 Dec 2023

See all articles by Yuqi Gu

Yuqi Gu

Willamette University Atkinson Graduate School of Management

Mahsa Kaviani

University of Delaware

Lily Yuanzhi Li

Villanova University

Hosein Maleki

Rutgers Business School - Rutgers University

Connie X. Mao

Temple University - Fox School of Business and Management

Date Written: May 1, 2022

Abstract

We examine the impact of Sinclair Broadcast Group, the largest conservative media network in the US local TV markets, on corporate innovation following its staggered expansion across the country. We find a significant reduction in innovation output two to three years after Sinclair entry. As a larger proportion of inventors self-identify as left-leaning, we find that the effect runs through inventor mobility. Inventors leaving Sinclair-exposed firms are more innovative compared to those who stay or are newly hired. The effect of Sinclair on innovation is larger in states with fewer restrictions on employee mobility and in red states.

Keywords: political ideology, media, innovation, human capital mobility

JEL Classification: D72, J24, L82, J61, O31

Suggested Citation

Gu, Yuqi and Kaviani, Mahsa and Li, Lily Yuanzhi and Maleki, Hosein and Mao, Connie X., Conservative Media, Inventor Mobility, and Corporate Innovation (May 1, 2022). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3867503 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3867503

Yuqi Gu

Willamette University Atkinson Graduate School of Management ( email )

Salem, OR 97301
United States

Mahsa Kaviani

University of Delaware ( email )

20 Orchard Rd, Newark, DE
Newark, DE 19716
United States

Lily Yuanzhi Li

Villanova University ( email )

United States

Hosein Maleki (Contact Author)

Rutgers Business School - Rutgers University ( email )

Connie X. Mao

Temple University - Fox School of Business and Management ( email )

416 Alter Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19122
United States
215-204-4895 (Phone)
215-204-1697 (Fax)

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