Is Distance Dying at Last? Falling Home Bias in Fixed Effects Models of Patent Citations

50 Pages Posted: 30 May 2008

See all articles by Rachel Griffith

Rachel Griffith

Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS); University of Manchester; Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

Sokbae Lee

University College London

John Van Reenen

London School of Economics - Centre for Economic Performance (CEP); Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS); Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: September 2007

Abstract

We examine the 'home bias' of international knowledge spillovers as measured by the speed of patent citations (i.e. knowledge spreads slowly over international boundaries). We present the first compelling econometric evidence that the geographical localization of knowledge spillovers has fallen over time, as we would expect from the dramatic fall in communication and travel costs. Our proposed estimator controls for correlated fixed effects and censoring in duration models and we apply it to data on over two million citations between 1975 and 1999. Home bias declines substantially when we control for fixed effects: there is practically no home bias for the more 'modern' sectors such as pharmaceuticals and information/communication technologies.

Keywords: fixed effects, home bias, knowledge spillovers, patent citations

JEL Classification: F23, O32, O33

Suggested Citation

Griffith, Rachel and Lee, Sokbae and Van Reenen, John Michael, Is Distance Dying at Last? Falling Home Bias in Fixed Effects Models of Patent Citations (September 2007). CEPR Discussion Paper No. DP6435, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1138548

Rachel Griffith (Contact Author)

Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) ( email )

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University of Manchester ( email )

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Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

London
United Kingdom

Sokbae Lee

University College London ( email )

Gower Street
London
United Kingdom

John Michael Van Reenen

London School of Economics - Centre for Economic Performance (CEP) ( email )

Houghton Street
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United Kingdom
+44 20 7955 6976 (Phone)
+44 20 7955 6848 (Fax)

Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) ( email )

7 Ridgmount Street
London, WC1E 7AE
United Kingdom
+44 20 7240 6740 (Phone)
+44 20 7240 6136 (Fax)

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

London
United Kingdom

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