Spring 2014
Below are links to articles on the reading list that are available on-line through the Syracuse University library. The articles are organized by date and subject, as on the syllabus. For other articles, a link to Blackboard is provided, where a PDF of the article is available.
Because these articles are made available through the SU library, they are only available to SU students. If you are using a computer on campus, the links will take you directly to the article. If you are off-campus, you will be taken to a sign-in page so that you can access library materials remotely.
January 13 – Introduction
January 15 – Technology and Economic Growth
Baily, Martin Neal, James Manyka, and Shalabh Gupta (2013), “U.S. Productivity Growth: An Optimistic Perspective,” International Productivity Monitor, 25, 3-12.
Gordon, Robert J (2012), “Is U.S. Economic Growth Over? Faltering Innovation Confronts the Six Headwinds,” National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper #18315.
Grossman, Gene M. and Elhanan Helpman (1994), “Endogenous Innovation in the Theory of Growth,” Journal of Economic Perspectives, 8(1), pp. 23-44.
Ruttan, Vernon W. (2001), “Catching Up and Falling Behind,” chapter 2 in Technology, Growth, and Development: An Induced Innovation Perspective, Oxford Press, New York, 15-60. Blackboard
“Has the idea machine broken down?” The Economist, January 12, 2013, 21-24.
“Service break,” The Economist, March 27, 2010.
January 22 – Knowledge as a Public Good
Cappelli, Riccardo, Dirk Czarnitzki, and Kornelius Kraft (2014), “Sources of spillovers for imitation and innovation,” Research Policy, 43, 115-120.
Geroski, Paul (1995), “Markets for Technology: Knowledge, Innovation, and Appropriability,” ch. 4. in Paul Stoneman, ed. Handbook of the Economics of Innovation and Technological Change, pp. 90-131. Blackboard
Mansfield, Edwin, John Rapoport, Anthony Romeo, Samuel Wagner, and George Beardsley (1977), “Social and Private Rates of Return from Industrial Innovations,” The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 91(2), pp. 221-240.
January 27 – Measuring Knowledge
Basberg, Bjorn L. (1987), “Patents and the measurement of technological change: A survey of the literature,” Research Policy, 16, pp. 131-141.
King, David A. (2004), “The scientific impact of nations,” Nature, 430, 311-316.
“R&D and Productivity Growth,” Congressional Budget Office Background Paper, June 2005.
“Climbing Mount Publishable, The Economist, November 13, 2010, 95-96.
“Net Benefits,” The Economist, March 9, 2013, 76.
“Rising in the East,” The Economist, January 3, 2009, 47.
January 29 & February 3 – Sources of Technological Change
Arthur, W. Brian (2007), “The structure of invention,” Research Policy, 36, 274-287.
Link, Albert N. and Donald S. Siegel (2003), “Sources of technological knowledge,” ch. 8 in Link and Siegel (eds.) Technological Change and Economic Performance, pp. 60-69. Blackboard
Nemet, Gregory F. (2008), “Does Learning By Doing Improve Energy Technology?” LaFollette Policy Report, 17(2), pp. 17-20.
Ruttan, Vernon W. (2002), “Sources of Technical Change: Induced Innovation, Evolutionary Theory, and Path Dependence,” chapter 2 in Technological Change and the Environment¸ Arnulf Grübler, Nebojsa Nakicenovic, and William D. Nordhaus, eds., Resources for the Future, Washington, DC. Blackboard
Thompson, Peter (2012), “The Relationship between Unit Cost and Cumulative Quantity and the Evidence for Organizational Learning-by-Doing,” Journal of Economic Perspectives, 26(3), 203-224.
“Big and Clever,” The Economist, December 11, 2011, 116.
“Catch the wave,” The Economist, February 20, 1999, pp. S7-S8.
“Companies and innovation: Less glamour, more profit,” The Economist, April 24, 2004, p. 11.
“Don’t laugh at gilded butterflies,” The Economist, April 24, 2004, pp. 71-73.
“Out of the dusty labs,” The Economist, March 3, 2007, pp. 74-76.
February 5 – What is Intellectual Property Protection (IPP)?
Rockett, Katharine (2010), “Property Rights and Invention” in Handbook of the Economics of Innovation, vol. 1, Bronwyn H. Hall and Nathan Rosenberg (eds.), read secs 1-4 only, 315-332.
Varian, Hal R (2005), “Copying and Copyright,” Journal of Economic Perspectives, 19(2), pp. 121-138.
Porter, Eduardo, “In a Ruling, The Legacy of Betamax,” The New York Times, March 27, 2013, B1, B4.
February 10 – How Firms Use Intellectual Property Protection
Greenhalgh, Christine and Mark Rogers (2007), “The value of intellectual property rights to firms and society,” Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 23(4), pp. 541-567.
Hall, Bronwyn H., Christian Helmers, Mark Rogers, and Vania Sena, “The Choice Between Formal and Informal Intellectual Property: A Literature Review,” NBER Working Paper #17983.
Duhigg, Charles and Steve Lohr, “The Patent, Mighty as a Sword,” The New York Times, October 8, 2012, A1, A14-A15.
Rusli, Evelyn M., “Quest for Patents Brings a New Focus in Technology Deals,” The New York Times, August 19, 2011, B6.
“Can you keep a secret?,” The Economist, March 16, 2013, 67.
“Patently Absurd,” The Economist, June 23, 2001, pp. S40-S42
“Standard procedure,” The Economist, May 11, 2013, 83.
February 12 – Case: Medical Biotechnology
Cockburn, Iain M., Scott Stern, and Jack Zausner (2011), “Finding the Endless Frontier: Lessons from the Life Sciences Innovation System for Energy R&D,” chapter 4 in Accelerating Energy Innovation: Insights from Multiple Sectors, Rebecca M. Henderson and Richard G. Newell eds., University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL, 113-157.
Liptak, Adam, “Justices, 9-0, Bar Patenting Human Genes,” The New York Times, June 14, 2013, A1, A16.
Wilson, Duff, “Patent Woes Threatening Drug Firms,” The New York Times, March 7, 2011, A1, A3.
“An open-source shot in the arm?” The Economist, June 12, 2004, pp. S17-S19.
“Cliffhanger,” The Economist, December 3, 2011, 76.
“Friends for life,” The Economist, August 8, 2009, 55-56.
“More harm than good?” The Economist, April 17, 2010, 90-91.
“Prometheus unsound,” The Economist, March 24, 2012, 66.
“Regenerative medicine,” The Economist, February 23, 2013, 63.
February 17 – IPP Policy Issues
Boldrin, Michele and David K. Levine (2013), “The Case Against Patents,” Journal of Economic Perspectives, 27(1), 3-22.
Graham, Stuart and Saurabh Vishnubhakat (2013), “Of Smart Phone Wars and Software Patents,” Journal of Economic Perspectives, 27(1), 67-86.
Hunt, Robert M., “You Can Patent That? Are Patents on Computer Programs and Business Methods Good for the New Economy?” Business Review, Quarter 1, 2001, pp. 5-15.
Barnes, Robert and Alan Sipress, “Rulings Weaken Patents’ Power: High Court Decides on Two Key Cases,” The Washington Post, May 1, 2007, p. D1.
Schwartz, John, “Broad View of Patents on Methods,” The New York Times, June 29, 2010, B1, B4.
National Academies (2004), “Patent System for the 21st Century: Summary of a STEP Board Report.”
“iPhone, uCopy, iSue,” The Economist, September 1, 2012, 12-14.
“Many patents, still pending,” The Economist, September 10, 2012, 72.
February 19 – Science vs. Profit
Stephan, Paula E. (2010) “The Economics of Science,” in Handbooks in Economics: Economics of Innovation Volume 1, Bronwyn H. Hall & Nathan Rosenberg eds., North-Holland, Amsterdam, pp. 216-273 (focus on sections 1-7).
Foray, D. DC. Mowrey, and R.R Nelson (2012), “Public R&D and social challenges: What lessons from mission R&D programs?” Research Policy, 41, 1697-1702.
“Science and Profit,” The Economist, February 17, 2001, pp. 21-22.
“Outrageous Fortune,” The Economist, May 19, 2001, pp. 77-78.
“Pity the messenger,” The Economist, March 28, 2009, 90-91.
February 24 – Government Subsidies of R&D
Hall, Bronwyn and John Van Reenen (2000). “How Effective are Fiscal Incentives for R&D? A Review of the Evidence,” Research Policy, 29, pp. 449-469.
David, Paul A., Bronwyn H. Hall, and Andrew A. Toole (2000), “Is Public R&D a Complement or Substitute for Private R&D? A Review of the Econometric Evidence,” Research Policy, 29, pp. 497-529.
Williams, Heidi (2012), “Innovation inducement prizes: Connecting research to policy,” Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 31(3), 752-776.
Lohor, Steve, “A $1Million Research Bargain for Netflix, and Maybe a Model for Others,” The New York Times, September 22, 2009, B1, B4.
February 25 & March 3– Evaluating Public R&D programs
Jaffe, Adam B. (2002), “Building Programme Evaluation into the Research Design of Public Research-Support Programmes,” Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 18(1), 22-34.
Lane, Julia (2009), “Assessing the Impact of Science Funding,” Science, 324, 1273-1275.
Ruegg, Rosalie and Irwin Feller (2003), A Toolkit for Evaluating Public R&D Investment, US Dept. of Commerce National Institute of Standards and Technology, chapters 1-2, pp. 6-53.
Committee on Prospective Benefits of DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Fossil Energy R&D Programs (2007), Prospective Evaluation of Applied Energy Research and Development at DOE (Phase One): A First Look Forward, National Research Council, National Academies Press, Washington, DC, chapters 1-3, pp. 6-31.
March 5 – Technology Transfer
Bozeman, Barry, “Technology transfer and public policy: a review of research and theory,” Research Policy, 29, pp, 627-655. (skim sec. 6)
Mowrey, David C. and Timothy Simcoe (2002), “Is the Internet a US invention – an economic and technological history of computer networking,” Research Policy, 31, pp. 1369-1387.
“Research and Development: Funds and Technology Linkages,” chapter 4 in Science and Engineering Indicators: 2006. Read pages 4-19 to 4-38.
March 17 – Government Policy For Technology Transfer
Larsen, Maria Theresa (2011), “The implications of academic enterprise for public science: An overview of the empirical evidence,” Research Policy, 40, 6-19.
Link, Albert N. (2006), “Research Joint Ventures,” chapter 9 in Public/Private Partnerships: Innovation Strategies and Policy Alternatives, Springer, New York, NY, 83-95. Blackboard
Sampat, Bhaven N. (2006), “Patenting and US academic research in the 20th century: The world before and after Bayh-Dole,” Research Policy, 35, pp. 772-789.
Flanigan, James, “The Route From Research to Start-Up,” The New York Times, January 18, 2007, p. C16.
Kunhardt, Erich E., “Necessity as the Mother of Tenure?” The New York Times, December 14, 2004, A33.
Morrissey, Susan R., “Maximizing Returns,” Chemical & Engineering News, September 15, 2003, pp. 17-20.
Pérez-Peña, Richard, “Patenting Their Discoveries Does Not Pay Off for Most Universities, a Study Says,” The New York Times, November 21, 2013, A18.
March 19 – Technology Policy for Local Governments
Chatterji, Aaron, Edward L. Glaeser, and William R. Kerr (2013), “Clusters of Entrepreneurship and Innovation,” National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper #19013.
Dewan Shaila, “Cities Race to Bet on Biotech, Despite Long Odds,” New York Times, June 11, 2009, A1, A16.
Goolsbee, Austan, “What Baseball Can Teach Those Who Dream of Creating the Next Silicon Valley,” The New York Times, August 17, 2006, C3.
March 24 – Theories of Diffusion
Gillingham, Kenneth and Karen Palmer (2013), “Bridging the Energy Efficiency Gap: Policy Insights from Economic Theory and Empirical Evidence,” Resources for the Future Discussion Paper 13-02-REV.
Hall, Bronwyn (2004), “Innovation and Diffusion,” NBER Working Paper #10212.
“Lock and Key,” The Economist, September 18, 1999, p. 88.
“Getting the message,” The Economist, March 4, 2006, p. 61.
March 26 – International Technology Diffusion
Keller, Wolfgang (2001), “International Technology Diffusion,” NBER Working Paper #8573.
World Investment Report 2005: Transnational Corporations and the Internationalization of R&D, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, chapters V & VI.
March 31 & April 2 – International Technology Policy
“Determinants of Technological Progress: Recent Trends and Prospects,” chapter 3 in Global Economic Prospects 2008: Technology Diffusion in the Developing World, World Bank, Washington, DC.
Attaran, Amir and Lee Gillespie-White (2001), “Do Patents for Antiretroviral Drugs Constrain Access to AIDS Treatment in Africa?” Journal of the American Medical Association, 286(15), pp. 1886-1892.
Bollyky, Thomas J. (2013), “Access to Drugs for Treatment of Noncommunicable Diseases,” PLOS Medicine, 10(7), 1-3.
Forero-Pineda, Clemente (2006), “The impact of stronger intellectual property rights on science and technology in developing countries,” Research Policy, 35, pp. 808-824.
Gervais, Daniel J. (2013), “TRIPS and Development,” SAGE Hanbook on Intellectual Property. Ed. Matthew David and Debora Halbert, eds.. SAGE, 1-30.
Ginarte, Juan C., Park, Walter G. (1997), “Determinants of patent rights: a crossnational study,” Research Policy 26, 283–301.
Park, Walter G. (2008), “International patent protection: 1960–2005,” Research Policy, 37, 761-766.
Dugger, Celia W., “Study Finds Small Developing Lands Hit Hardest by ‘Brain Drain’,” The New York Times, October 25, 2005, p. A9.
Harris, Gardiner, “India’s Efforts to Aid Poor Worry Drug Makers,” The New York Times, December 30, 2013, A1, A3.
“Drain or gain?” The Economist, May 28, 2011, 80.
“Patents and the poor: The rights to good ideas,” The Economist, June 23, 2001, pp. 21-23.
“Plight of the sea turtles,” The Economist, July 6, 2013, 41-42.
“Weaving the world together,” The Economist, November 19, 2011, 72-74.
April 7 – Examples of Technology in Developing Countries
“Technology and Technological Diffusion in Developing Countries,” chapter 2 in Global Economic Prospects 2008: Technology Diffusion in the Developing World, World Bank, Washington, DC.
Dugger, Celia W., “A Bounty of Rice for Africa, Just Out of Reach,” The New York Times, October 10, 2007, pp. A1, A12.
“Eureka moments,” The Economist, September 26, 2009, S4-S8.
“Fresher cookers,” The Economist, December 6, 2008, S3-S4.
“Local heroes,” The Economist, February 3, 2007, pp. 79-80.
“The mother of invention,” The Economist, September 26, 2009, S8-S12.
“Of internet cafés and power cuts,” The Economist, February 9, 2008. 75-77.
April 9 – Examples of Technology in Emerging Economies
Frew, Sarah E., Rahim Rezaie, Stephen M. Sammut, Monali Ray, Abdallah S. Daar & Peter A. Singer (2007), “India’s health biotech sector at a crossroads,” Nature Biotechnology, 25(4), 403-417.
Fu, Xiaolan, Carlo Pietrobelli, and Luc Soete (2011), “The Role of Foreign Technology and Indigenous Innovation in the Emerging Economies: Technological Change and Catching-up,” World Development, 39(7), 1204-1212.
Lewis, Joanna I. (2007), “Technology Acquisition and Innovation in the Developing World: Wind Turbine Development in China and India,” Studies in Comparative International Development, 42, 208-232.
Bajaj, Vikas, “In India, a Developing Case of Innovation Envy,” The New York Times, December 9, 2009, B1, B7.
“Bamboo innovation,” The Economist, May 7, 2011, 73.
“Leapfrogging or piggybacking?” The Economist, November 10, 2007, pp. S4-S10.
“Patents yes; ideas, maybe,” The Economist, October 16, 2010, 78-79.
“Mixed bag,” The Economist, January 21, 2012, S13-S15.
April 14 – Information Technology Policy Issues
Varian, Hal and Carl Shapiro (1997), “U.S. Government Information Policy”.
Waldfogel, Joel (2012), “Music Piracy and Its Effects on Demand, Supply, and Welfare,” in Innovation Policy and the Economy, vol. 12, Josh Lerner and Scott Stern (eds), University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL., 91-109.
Kinsley, Michael, “You Can’t Sell News by the Slice,” The New York Times, February 10, 2009, A21.
Porter, Eduardo, “From Lottery to Oligopoly In Wireless Spectrum,” The New York Times, June 5, 2013, B1, B7.
Varian, Hal R., “Economic Scene: In the clash of technology and copyright, file-sharing is only the latest battleground,” The New York Times, April 7, 2005, p. C2.
Wyatt, Edward, “A Clash Over the Airwaves,” The New York Times, April 22, 2011, B1, B6.
“A fine balance,” The Economist, January 25, 2003, p. S13-S17.
“How to sink pirates,” The Economist, November 14, 2009, 16-18.
“Of governments and geeks,” The Economist, February 6, 2010, 65-66.
“Rights and wronged,” The Economist, November 26, 2011, 73-74.
“Tossed by a gale,” The Economist, May 16, 2009, 76-78.
April 16 – Economics of the Internet: Net Neutrality & The Digital Divide
Compaine, Benjamin M. (2001), “Re-examining the Digital Divide,” ch. 12 in Communications policy in transition: The Internet and beyond, Benjamin M. Compaine and Shane Greenstein eds., pp. 321-348. Blackboard
Stelter, Brian, “Comcast Fee Ignites Fight Over Videos on Internet,” The New York Times, November 30, 2010, B1, B7.
Wyatt, Edward, “Most of U.S. is Wired, but Millions Aren’t Plugged In,” The New York Times, August 19, 2013, B1, B3.
Wyatt, Edward, “U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace in Delivering Broadband Service,” The New York Times, December 30, 2013, B1, B3.
“Changing the rules,” The Economist, October 14, 2006, pp. S16-S18.
“From ships to bits,” The Economist, May 15, 2010, 86.
“Open up those highways,” The Economist, January 19, 2008, 65.
“Raze the mystery house,” The Economist, April 10, 2010, 35.
“Reality bites,” The Economist, September 1, 2007, pp. 61-62.
“Sweet land of subsidy,” The Economist, December 3, 2011, 42.
“Unwired,” The Economist, August 15, 2009, 11.
“Wi-Pie in the sky?” The Economist, March 11, 2006, pp. S22-S24.
April 21 – Globalization and Technology
Freeman, Richard . (2013), “One ring to rule them all: Globalization of Knowledge and Knowledge Creation,” National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper #19301.
Freeman, Richard B. (2006), “Does Globalization of the Scientific/Engineering Workforce Threaten U.S. Economic Leadership?” ch. 5 in Innovation Policy and the Economy, vol 6, Adam B. Jaffe, Josh Lerner, and Scott Stern, eds., pp. 123-157.
Porter, Eduardo, “Rethinking the Rise of Inequality,” The New York Times, November 13, 2013, B1, B8.
Sengupta, Somini, “Engineers See a Path Out of Green Card Limbo,” The New York Times, May 23, 2013.
“Give me your scientists…,” The Economist, March 7, 2009, 84.
“Labour pains,” The Economist, November 2, 2013, 77-78.
“Still full of ideas, but not making jobs,” The Economist, April 30, 2011, 32-34.
April 23 – Innovation, Energy, and Climate Change
Newell, Richard G. (2011), “The Energy Innovation System: A Historical Perspective,” chapter 1 in Accelerating Energy Innovation: Insights from Multiple Sectors, Rebecca M. Henderson and Richard G. Newell eds., University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL, 25-47.
Popp, David (2010), “Innovation and Climate Policy,” Annual Review of Resource Economics, vol. 2., Gordon C. Rausser, V. Kerry Smith and David Zilberman eds., Annual Reviews, Palo Alto, CA, pp. 275-298. Blackboard
Latif, Ahmed Abdel, “Intellectual Property Rights and Green Technologies from Rio to Rio: An Impossible Dialogue?” ICTSD Policy Brief No. 14, July 2012.
April 28 – Innovation Policy or Industrial Policy?
“Green Innovation and Industrial Policies,” chapter 3 in Inclusive Green Growth: The Pathway to Sustainable Development, The World Bank, Washington, DC, 2012, 65-90.
Ragwitz, Mario and Simone Steinhilber (2013), “Effectiveness and efficiency of support schemes for electricity from renewable energy sources,” WIRE Energy and Environment, doi: 10.1002/wene.85.
Lander, Mark, “Solar Valley Rises in an Overcast Land,” The New York Times, May 16, 2008, C1, C7.
“Picking winners, saving losers,” The Economist, August 7, 2010, 68-70.