Documents de travail de l'OCDE sur la science, la technologie et l'industrie
The OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) leads OECD research on the contribution of science, technology and industry to well-being and economic growth. STI Working Papers cover a broad range of topics including definition and measurement of science and technology indicators, global value chains, and research on policies to promote innovation. These technical or analytical working papers are prepared by staff or outside consultants to share early insights and elicit feedback.
- ISSN : 18151965 (en ligne)
- https://doi.org/10.1787/18151965
The Use of Patent Statistics for International Comparisons and Analysis of Narrow Technological Fields
Patent data provide an increasingly used means to analyse innovation performance worldwide including in countries with incomplete data coverage, such as some developing countries. This paper discusses the specific issues associated with using patent data for measuring and analysing innovation in narrow technological fields, such as many environment-related technologies. To improve cross-country comparability of patent statistics, the paper advocates the use of indicators based on patent family size because they are more flexible and can be adapted to various applications. The paper also examines certain idiosyncratic characteristics of patent databases and proposes approaches to mitigate potential biases in empirical cross-country analyses. While doing so is particularly important for analyses of narrow technological fields such as many environment- and climate-related technologies, some of these issues are relevant for patent analysis more broadly.
Mots-clés: innovation, indicators, environmental technologies
JEL:
Q5: Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics / Environmental Economics;
Q2: Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics / Renewable Resources and Conservation;
O3: Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth / Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights;
O31: Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth / Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights / Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives;
Q4: Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics / Energy;
O34: Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth / Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights / Intellectual Property and Intellectual Capital