Using panel data on 251,511 patent inventors matched to voter registration records that contain party bias, we provide the first major look at American inventor bias. We note that the founder model is a Republican and that the sectional composition of the founders has changed in ways that do not reflect trends in mass communication. We then show that founder group cohesion is associated with technological innovation related to firearms and climate change, two problem areas associated with group segregation. These findings suggest that the involvement of the inventor may influence the understanding of the innovation task.
Here’s the full piece by Daniel Fehder, Florenta Teodoridis, Joseph Raffee, and Jino Lu. By Kris Gulati.
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