Patent protection and foreign R&D investment location choices: inventor mobility and policy convergence
研究了专利保护吸引外国研发投资的边界条件，发现发明人流动性削弱其效果，且全球专利保护趋同使边际效应递减。基于2003-2014年3393家跨国公司在105个国家的8015个绿地研发投资数据。
Abstract We suggest two boundary conditions for the positive role of patent protection in attracting inward foreign R&D investments. Patent protection is less effective in limiting the leakage of nonpatented knowledge through interfirm mobility of employees, and a gradual strengthening of patent protection worldwide diminishes its effect as countries get closer to the intellectual property rights (IPR) frontier. We provide evidence in an empirical analysis of 3393 multinational firms’ R&D location choices for 8015 greenfield R&D investments in 105 (potential) host countries, during 2003–2014. The relationship between R&D investment location choices and IPR protection is subject to declining marginal effects and negatively moderated by inventor mobility.