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Publications
  • March 2010
  • Article
  • Journal of Economic History

The Role of Independent Invention in U.S. Technological Development, 1880-1930

By: Tom Nicholas
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Abstract

Why did independent inventors account for over half of US patents by 1930 and more than three times the number granted to R&D firms? Using new data on patents and historical patent citations, I show that independents supplied high quality innovations to a geographically broad market for ideas. Those close to large urban centers developed some of the most significant technological advances. Demand for independent inventions remained high during the growth of the corporate economy as firms continued to acquire external innovations that complemented formal R&D. Despite their relative decline, independents remained central to the process of technological development.

Keywords

History; Technological Innovation; Patents; Urban Scope; Independent Innovation and Invention; Research and Development; United States

Citation

Nicholas, Tom. "The Role of Independent Invention in U.S. Technological Development, 1880-1930." Journal of Economic History 70, no. 1 (March 2010).
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About The Author

Tom Nicholas

Entrepreneurial Management
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More from the Author
  • Human Capital and the Managerial Revolution in the United States By: Tom Nicholas
  • Air Wars: Deregulating the U.S. Airline Industry By: Tom Nicholas and James Weber
  • A Soul and a Service: North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance By: Tom Nicholas and John Masko
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