The Impact of Open Access Mandates on Invention
Keyword(s):
How do barriers to the diffusion of academic research affect innovation? In 2008, the NIH mandated free online availability of funded research. This policy caused a 50 percentage point increase in free access to funded articles. We introduce a novel measure, in-text patent citations, to study how this mandate affected industry use of academic science. After 2008, patents cite NIH-funded research 12-27% more often. Non-funded research, funded research in journals unaffected by the mandate, and academic citations see no change. These estimates are consistent with a model of search for useful knowledge. Ineffciency caused by academic publishing may be substantial.
Keyword(s):
2020 ◽
2015 ◽
Vol 7
(1)
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pp. 1-35
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2011 ◽
Vol 14
(4)
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pp. 466-478
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2020 ◽