Graduation Year
2016
Document Type
Campus Only Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Economics
Second Department
Politics and International Relations
Reader 1
Roberto Pedace
Reader 2
Nancy Neiman Auerbach
Reader 3
Sean Flynn
Terms of Use & License Information
Rights Information
© 2015 Jiani Xu
Abstract
Innovation is generally regarded as an essential aspect of the economic growth for a country. Intellectual property rights such as patents are often held in the same regard of importance towards promoting the pursuit of innovation. This paper examines this assumption and explores whether patent applications positively or negatively influence GDP growth in a sample of 4 countries chosen for their similarity in stages of economic development. In my research, I also test for the influence of patent applications on commercialized innovation. I find that GDP growth and commercialized innovation are negatively affected by patent applications. This suggests that the commonly assumed link between patents and innovation may need to be reevaluated, and that using patents as an indicator of the economic growth of a country may also need to be reevaluated.
Recommended Citation
Xu, Jiani, "Oh I Think I Found Myself a Cheerleader: An Empirical Approach to the Relevancy of Patents in Motivating Innovation and Driving Economic Growth" (2016). Scripps Senior Theses. 732.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/scripps_theses/732
This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.
