Intellectual Baggage of Ethnic Migrant Inventors: Transfer and Recombination of Knowledge Across Borders

Prithwiraj  Choudhury

Working Paper | HBS Working Paper Series | 2018

Intellectual Baggage of Ethnic Migrant Inventors: Transfer and Recombination of Knowledge Across Borders

Abstract

Ethnic migrant inventors might differ from locals in terms of knowledge they bring to host firms. We study the role of first-generation ethnic migrant inventors in cross-border transfer of knowledge previously locked within the cultural context of their home regions. Using a unique dataset of Chinese and Indian herbal patents filed in the United States, we find that an increase in the supply of first-generation ethnic migrant inventors increases the rate of codification of herbal knowledge at U.S. assignees. Our identification comes from an exogenous shock to the quota of H1B visas and from a list of entities exempted from the shock. We also find that ethnic migrant inventors are more likely to engage in reuse of their prior knowledge, whereas inventors from other ethnic backgrounds are more likely to engage in knowledge recombination.

Keywords: skilled migration; ethnic migration; first-generation migrant; cultural context; knowledge flows; knowledge reuse; knowledge recombination; recombinant creation; H1B visas; Knowledge Sharing; Knowledge Use and Leverage; Knowledge Dissemination; Immigration; Ethnicity;

Language: English

Format: Print

47 pages

Citation:

Choudhury, Prithwiraj. "Intellectual Baggage of Ethnic Migrant Inventors: Transfer and Recombination of Knowledge Across Borders." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 17-069, January 2017. (Revised January 2018.)

Working Paper | HBS Working Paper Series | 2020

(When) Does Appearance Matter? Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial

Prithwiraj Choudhury, Tarun Khanna, Christos A. Makridis and Subhradip Sarker

While there is evidence about labor market discrimination based on race, religion, and gender, we know little about whether physical appearance leads to discrimination in labor market outcomes. We deploy a randomized experiment on 1,000 respondents in India between April and May 2020 to investigate how “looks” affect labor market outcomes. Using machine learning and computer face rendering techniques, we simulate North, South, and Northeastern Indian faces and randomize two waves of treatments where we attach faces with otherwise identical CVs. However, the second wave also contains a vignette where we provide respondents with information about the incidence of discrimination. We focus on Northeastern Indian faces that resemble those in China to focus on the potential for discrimination that has historically been present in anecdotal accounts. While we do not find evidence of discrimination against Northeastern faces in the first wave, we do so in the second among those who do not see the vignette. We provide suggestive evidence that these results are consistent with the presence of homophily under limited attention.

Keywords: Behavioral economics; coronavirus; discrimination; homophily; labor market mobility; limited attention; resumes; Personal Characteristics; Prejudice and Bias;

Citation:

Choudhury, Prithwiraj, Tarun Khanna, Christos A. Makridis, and Subhradip Sarker. "(When) Does Appearance Matter? Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 21-038, September 2020. View Details

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Intellectual Baggage of Ethnic Migrant Inventors: Transfer and Recombination of Knowledge Across Borders

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