Unpacking the Innovator-Inventor Gap: Evidence from Engineers

Abstract

Using detailed administrative and survey data from engineers, we provide insights into the processes that lead to patent filing. We document these processes' opt-in, competitive nature, and how firm dynamics and demographics shape them. Only one-third of engineers submit ideas for patenting, and just half of these lead to patent applications. Women are significantly less involved at each stage of the journey from innovator to named inventor, contributing to a larger ``innovator-inventor gap," which engineers perceive to be associated with ineffective management and culture. Analysis of citation patterns suggests that high-quality patents are lost in firms with larger gender gaps.

Keywords: Intellectual property, Innovation, Patents, Diversity, Innovators, Inventors, Engineers, Culture

JEL Classification: J16, J24, M14, M54, O31, O32, O34