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Patents vs R&D Subsidies on Income Inequality

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  • Chu, Angus C.
  • Cozzi, Guido

Abstract

This study explores the effects of patent protection and R&D subsidies on economic growth and income inequality using a Schumpeterian growth model with heterogeneity in household asset holdings. We find that although strengthening patent protection and raising R&D subsidies have the same macroeconomic effect of stimulating economic growth, they have drastically different microeconomic implications on income inequality. Specifically, strengthening patent protection increases income inequality whereas raising R&D subsidies decreases (increases) it if the quality step size is sufficiently small (large). An empirically realistic quality step size is smaller than the threshold implying a negative effect of R&D subsidies on income inequality. We also calibrate the model to provide a quantitative analysis and find that strengthening patent protection causes a moderate increase in income inequality and a negligible increase in consumption inequality whereas raising R&D subsidies causes a significant decrease in both income inequality and consumption inequality.

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  • Chu, Angus C. & Cozzi, Guido, 2016. "Patents vs R&D Subsidies on Income Inequality," MPRA Paper 73482, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:73482
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    Keywords

    R&D subsidies; patents; income inequality; economic growth;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D3 - Microeconomics - - Distribution
    • O3 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights
    • O4 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity

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