Global collaboration and spillovers in MNE patenting from emerging economies: Evidence from India and China
Suma Athreye, Brunel University - UK
Studies on MNE patenting in global patent regimes from emerging economies have explained the larger than average shares of patents from these economies that feature global collaboration as an IP management strategy designed to reduce spillovers to local firms. We argue that the immaturity of emerging economy locations for doing R&D necessitates global collaboration in R&D projects undertaken from these locations but at the same time makes firms vulnerable to spillovers to rivals with superior absorptive capacities, often located in advanced economies. Using data on patenting in the Computers and Communications technology class by MNE subsidiaries located in India and China we show that global collaboration in patenting decreases overtime. Accounting for the endogenous nature of the decision to collaborate globally, we also show that global collaboration makes the MNE more vulnerable to technological spillovers to rivals in foreign locations, without preventing spillovers within the emerging economy.
About the speaker
Suma Athreye is Professor of International Strategy at Brunel Business School and Founding Director of the Centre on International Business and Strategy in Emerging Markets at Brunel University. Her research focuses on internationalization and its impact on technology management in developed and in emerging economies. Some of her well cited publications are on knowledge markets and the growth of international licensing, foreign investment into India, the growth of the Cambridge high tech cluster, the software and pharmaceutical industries in India and the internationalization of Chinese and Indian firms
Venue: C-1.07 (Tongersestraat 53)
Date: 10 April 2013
Time: 13:30 - 15:00 CET
