Innovation, Inequality and Intellectual Property Rights

The existing literature on the sources and nature of productivity growth during the early industrialization stages of U.S. has identified the combination of intellectual property rights (IPRs) with a large middle class and broad participation in markets as explanations for the extraordinary level and growth of patenting. This paper considers whether these factors could play a role in the contemporaneous evolution of innovation in a broad cross section of countries today. Our results indicate that IPRs and the size of the middle class help explain patterns of resident, but not non-resident patenting. Overall, the evidence suggests that non-resident patenting patterns are driven more by exogenous factors and global integration, while 'home grown' innovation is more sensitive to internal structural and institutional factors.intellectual property rights, innovation, income inequality

Investments in Modernization, Innovation and Gains in Productivity: Evidence from Firms in the Global Paper Industry

This paper examines the impact of investments in modernization and innovation on productivity in a sample of firms in the global pulp and paper industry. This industry is important because it has traditionally accounted for significant amounts of employment and capital investment in North America and Europe. In contrast to much of the existing literature which focuses on the impact of R&D and patents on firms’ performance and productivity, we examine data on actual investment transactions in four main areas of operations: (i) mechanical, (ii) chemicals, (iii) monitoring devices and (iv) information technology. We find that firms which made decisions to implement a greater number of investment transactions in modernization achieved higher productivity, and these estimated quantitative effects are greater than the impact of standard innovation variables such as patents and R&D. Investment transactions in the information technology and digital monitoring devices imparted a particularly noticeable boost to productivity. These results are obtained after controlling for other firm-specific variables such as capital-intensity and mergers and acquisitions. Two broad messages emerge from our study. First, firms’ decisions to undertake investments in modernization and various forms of incremental innovations appear to be critical for achieving gains in productivity. While these may typically generate small gains on a year-to-year basis, they can compound to form meaningful differences in performance, productivity and competitive position across firms in the longer-run. Second, for some of the traditional industries like pulp and paper, R&D and patents seem to be particularly poor indicators of innovation and, more generally, how firms go about achieving gains in productivity. While this paper focuses on the pulp and paper industry, our broad framework and methodology is general and can be applied to understanding firms’ strategies related to enhancing performance and productivity in a variety of industries.Pulp and paper industry; investment; modernization; innovation; productivity; organizational behavior

Improved Low Voltage Ride through Capability of a Fixed Speed Wind Generator Using Dynamic Voltage Restorer

AbstractWind energy is one of the fastest growing renewable energy technologies in world. The new grid code proposes that the wind turbine should remain connected to the grid during voltage disturbances. Three phase voltage sags and faults cause reduction in voltage at the point of interconnection to the grid when fixed speed wind turbines connected to squirrel cage induction generators are employed resulting in disconnection of wind turbine from the grid. Dynamic voltage restorer is a series connected custom power device used for voltage compensation during sags and swells. In this paper, the Low voltage ride through capability of a fixed speed wind turbine is improved using dynamic voltage restorer. Simulation studies are done to determine the transient stability of a fixed speed wind turbine with squirrel cage induction generator using Matlab Simulink

Traditional journal club: a continuing problem

Objective: To evaluate the pattern, motivation and facilities for choosing journal club topics by residents in two medical institutions in India. Method: A self-appraisal questionnaire was used to compare motivation for choice of topics, availability of infrastructure, sites and type of articles accessed and formal training in computer based literature search in two medical institutions- a postgraduate institute (PGI) and medical college (MC) which provided mainly specialty and superspecialty training respectively. Results: One hundred and fifty five out of two hundred and fifty five residents responded to the questionnaire. Super-specialty training was pursued by 58 and specialty training by 97 residents. The residents in PGI more frequently selected journal articles which they considered good and in MC, faculty guidance determined the choice of journal club topics. The super-specialty residents, however, more frequently selected patient management related topics compared to specialty residents. MEDLINE and MD Consult were more frequently accessed by PGI residents where infrastructure and training in literature search were superior to MC. Conclusion: In both the institutions surveyed, journal clubs were of traditional type. Better infrastructure and training at PGI were not reflected in quality of journal club. Successful journal club should focus on current, real patient's problem of most interest to the group

Characterization and Evaluation of D-(+)-Tubocurarine Chloride as a Chiral Selector for Capillary Electrophoretic Enantioseparations

A new macrocyclic of the bis(benzylisoquinoline) alkaloid family, d- (+)-tubocurarine chloride (DTC), has been evaluated as a chiral selector for the separation of optical isomers of organic carboxylates using capillary electrophoresis (CE). The pertinent physicochemical properties, such as absorption spectrum, isoionic point, and solution conformation, of DTC were determined. The effects of varying such experimental parameters as DTC concentration, pH, and methanol content in the running buffer were assessed. CE separation of the enantiomers of 18 different compounds was achieved using DTC as the chiral selector under optimized background electrolytic conditions

Access to Higher Public Education and Locational Choices of Undocumented Migrants

Many states have experienced a large influx of undocumented migrants in recent years. This has created new demands on higher educational systems at the state level. Some states have passed legislation to restrict the access of undocumented migrants to higher public education whereas others provide access in various forms including in-state tuition. Our research examines a related issue that has not been researched much, namely, the impact of educational access on the location decisions of undocumented migrants in the US. Undocumented migrants appear to locate in states with high average median real per capita incomes. There is also evidence of clustering of undocumented migrants in states with large migrant networks. The effect of educational access on the percentage of undocumented workers in a state is mixed and small in most specifications, a finding perhaps indicative of a trade-off between competing priorities the choice of location

A Note on Health Care Inflation

This study seeks to identify the key factors that influence the inflation rate of health care services. The time series analysis covers the period from 1960-1994. The results provide insights into both demand-side and supply-side determinants of this inflation rate. The health care inflation rate is found to be an increasing function of the over age 65 population, malpractice insurance premiums, and the frequency of high-tech testing, while being a decreasing function of the number of physicians per 100,000 population

Investments in Modernization, Innovation and Gains in Productivity: Evidence From Firms in the Global Paper Industry

This paper examines the impact of investments in modernization and innovation on productivity in a sample of firms in the global pulp and paper industry. Our motivation for this paper arose from plant-visits the authors made to pulp and paper mills in North America and Europe, focusing on issues related to productivity, innovation and competition. In contrast to much of the existing literature which focuses on the impact of R&D and patents on firms’ performance and productivity, we collected data and information on actual investment transactions in four main areas of operations: (i) mechanical, (ii) chemicals, (iii) monitoring devices and (iv) information technology. We find that firms which made decisions to implement a greater number of investment transactions in modernization achieved higher productivity, and these estimated quantitative effects are greater than the impact of standard innovation variables such as patents and R&D. Investment transactions in the information technology and digital monitoring devices imparted a particularly noticeable boost to productivity. These results are obtained after controlling for other firm-specific variables such as capital-intensity and mergers and acquisitions. Two broad messages emerge from our study. First, firms’ decisions to undertake investments in modernization and various forms of incremental innovations appear to be critical for achieving gains in productivity. While these may typically generate small gains on a year-to-year basis, they can compound to form meaningful differences in performance, productivity and competitive position across firms in the longer-run. Second, for some of the traditional industries like pulp and paper, R&D and patents seem to be particularly poor indicators of innovation and, more generally, how firms go about achieving gains in productivity. While this paper focuses on the pulp and paper industry, our broad framework and methodology is general and can be applied to understanding firms’ strategies related to enhancing performance and productivity in a variety of industries

A Note on Health Care Inflation

This study seeks to identify the key factors that influence the inflation rate of health care services. The time series analysis covers the period from 1960-1994. The results provide insights into both demand-side and supply-side determinants of this inflation rate. The health care inflation rate is found to be an increasing function of the over age 65 population, malpractice insurance premiums, and the frequency of high-tech testing, while being a decreasing function of the number of physicians per 100,000 population

Access to Higher Public Education and Locational Choices of Undocumented Migrants

Many states have experienced a large influx of undocumented migrants in recent years. This has created new demands on higher educational systems at the state level. Some states have passed legislation to restrict the access of undocumented migrants to higher public education whereas others provide access in various forms including in-state tuition. Our research examines a related issue that has not been researched much, namely, the impact of educational access on the location decisions of undocumented migrants in the US. Undocumented migrants appear to locate in states with high average median real per capita incomes. There is also evidence of clustering of undocumented migrants in states with large migrant networks. The effect of educational access on the percentage of undocumented workers in a state is mixed and small in most specifications, a finding perhaps indicative of a trade-off between competing priorities the choice of location