This paper explains that when there is great uncertainty about which elements of knowledge must be combined to make an invention, the likelihood of invention increases markedly—by many orders of magnitude—when there are numerous diverse research organizations, rather than just a few. The...

The paper presents a model in which government standards regarding toxic air emissions increase R & D for process innovations that reduce pollution. To estimate the model, primary data about manufacturers' process R & D aiming to reduce the toxic air emissions of chemicals targeted in Title III...

Estimation supports a theoretical role for emissions standards: to reduce negative externalities caused by hazardous air emissions, government can set standards that cause firms to accept the uncertainty of R & D. The paper uses primary data about manufacturers' emissions-reducing process R & D....

Universities are a key institution in the US innovation system and an important aspect of their involvement is the role they play in Private-Public Partnering activities. This study seeks to gain a better understanding of the performance of university-industry research partnerships using a...

Thinking of government as entrepreneur is a unique lens through which to view a subset of government actions. The lens is not a template for an evaluation of government policy; rather, it is a characterization that underscores the government's purposeful intent, ability to act in new and...

An objective of the US Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) programme is the private sector commercialization of funded R&D projects. However, our estimate of the actual or expected probability of commercialization of such R&D is fairly low; our analysis of Department of Defense (DoD) Phase...