Patents and Innovation in Economic History
这篇综述回顾了经济史中关于专利驱动创新的传统观点，以及新数据和方法带来的挑战，发现过宽或过强的专利权反而抑制创新。
A strong tradition in economic history, which relies primarily on qualitative evidence and statistical correlations, has emphasized the importance of patents as a primary driver of innovation. Recent improvements in empirical methodology—through the creation of new datasets and advances in identification—have produced research that challenges this traditional view. The findings of this literature provide a more nuanced view of the effects of intellectual property and suggest that when patent rights have been too broad or too strong, they have actually discouraged innovation. This review summarizes the major results from this research and presents open questions.