I argue that the growing dominance of patent analysis not only fails to provide valuable and reliable insight into innovation processes, but is a smoke screen that prevents social scientists and policy-makers from understanding real problems and processes of innovation. Further, excessive focus by innovation scholars on studying patents, and by academic scientists on pursuing patents, together suggest the possibility that increased patenting activity may contribute to a long-term slowdown in productivity growth. We need an alternative research agenda for studying the relations between science and innovation, and I propose the outline of such an agenda with a focus on productivity.
Jeffrey Funk
Issues in Science and Technology
Summer 2018
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