ICT, collaboration, and innovation: Evidence from BITNET
Wernsdorf K, Nagler M, Watzinger M (2022)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2022
Journal
Book Volume: 211
Pages Range: 104678
Article Number: 104678
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2022.104678
Abstract
Does access to technologies that reduce information and communication costs increase innovation? We examine this question by exploiting the staggered adoption of BITNET across U.S. universities in the 1980s. BITNET, an early version of the Internet, enabled e-mail-based knowledge exchange and collaboration among academics. After the adoption of BITNET, university-connected inventors increase patenting substantially. The effects are driven by collaborative patents by new inventor teams. The patents induced by ICT are closely related to science. In contrast, we neither find an effect on patents not closely related to science nor on corporate inventors unconnected to universities.
Authors with CRIS profile
Involved external institutions
Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität (WWU) Münster
Germany (DE)
Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition / Max-Planck-Institut für Innovation und Wettbewerb
Germany (DE)
Germany (DE)
Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition / Max-Planck-Institut für Innovation und Wettbewerb
Germany (DE)
How to cite
APA:
Wernsdorf, K., Nagler, M., & Watzinger, M. (2022). ICT, collaboration, and innovation: Evidence from BITNET. Journal of Public Economics, 211, 104678. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2022.104678
MLA:
Wernsdorf, Kathrin, Markus Nagler, and Martin Watzinger. "ICT, collaboration, and innovation: Evidence from BITNET." Journal of Public Economics 211 (2022): 104678.
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