Political Ideology, Inventor Mobility, and Corporate Innovation

63 Pages Posted: 22 Jun 2021 Last revised: 13 Feb 2024

See all articles by Yuqi Gu

Yuqi Gu

Willamette University Atkinson Graduate School of Management

Mahsa Kaviani

University of Delaware

Lily Y. Li

Villanova University

Hosein Maleki

Rutgers Business School - Rutgers University

Connie X. Mao

Temple University - Fox School of Business and Management

Date Written: May 1, 2022

Abstract

We investigate the impact of political ideologies on corporate innovation using the staggered expansion of Sinclair Broadcasting Group, the largest conservative media network in the US. Firm-level innovation output declines after Sinclair-affiliated stations enter the companies’ headquartered county. The effect is driven by the departure of innovative talent. The relocation of inventors impacts various quantity and quality measures of innovation and is driven by ideological concerns. More inventors relocate from red to blue states than from blue to red states following Sinclair's entry. The effect becomes smaller in states that restrict employee mobility through stringent enforcement of non-competition agreements.

Keywords: political ideology, media, innovation, human capital mobility

JEL Classification: D72, J24, L82, J61, O31

Suggested Citation

Gu, Yuqi and Kaviani, Mahsa and Li, Lily Y. and Maleki, Hosein and Mao, Connie X., Political Ideology, Inventor Mobility, and Corporate Innovation (May 1, 2022). Fox School of Business Research Paper Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3867503 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3867503

Yuqi Gu

Willamette University Atkinson Graduate School of Management ( email )

Salem, OR 97301
United States

Mahsa Kaviani

University of Delaware ( email )

20 Orchard Rd, Newark, DE
Newark, DE 19716
United States

Lily Y. Li

Villanova University ( email )

United States

Hosein Maleki (Contact Author)

Rutgers Business School - Rutgers University ( email )

Connie X. Mao

Temple University - Fox School of Business and Management ( email )

416 Alter Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19122
United States
215-204-4895 (Phone)
215-204-1697 (Fax)

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