The effects of terrorist attacks on inventor productivity and mobility
研究美国致命恐怖袭击后，附近企业的发明产出减少且质量下降，发明者专利产量下滑，但部分发明者会迁往远方公司，这揭示了外部冲击如何扭曲创新过程并促进发明者重新配置。
We investigate the impact of deadly terrorist attacks on inventor productivity and mobility in the U.S. During the five-year window after such events, nearby firms generate fewer and less impactful inventions. Moreover, their inventors typically exhibit a post-attack decline in their patent production, unless they move to a distant company (which some tend to do after an attack). Firms' financial constraints and inventor talent appear to provide channels underlying our productivity and mobility findings, respectively. These results provide novel insights about the impact of shocks that distort the invention process and promote the mobility and reallocation of inventors among firms.