The Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) represents one of the biggest challenges facing today's globalized world. Meanwhile, transnational drug companies have strengthened their market positions in developing countries as a result of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (or TRIPS). Patent protection provided by TRIPS has led to higher prices and reduced access to essential medicines. Low- and middle-income countries are under increased pressure to provide expensive life-saving medicines to their citizens. Brazil's AIDS program is deemed successful in reducing morbidity and mortality rates through universal provision of free AIDS medicines. The program's sustainability came under threat as the result of TRIPS, pressures by transnational corporations, and trade threats by the US government. The research question that drove my dissertation centered on the impact of these threats on policy space available to Brazilian government to sustain its universal social program. How has the incorporation of patent protections for drugs affected the ability of local firms to develop pharmaceutical technology and challenged states like Brazil to fulfill social democratic obligations? Under what conditions can a developing country challenge the interests of transnational drug companies? I employed mixed methods for gathering and analyzing data. These included ethnographic field techniques, content analysis, and archival research. My findings are threefold. First, TRIPS has increased the power of foreign firms to secure monopoly positions in Brazil’s drug markets and weakened Brazil's labs to quickly make generic copies of essential medicines. Second, policy space, though curtailed due to external pressures and treaty obligations, expanded through the development of symbolic power, or what I call "reputational dividends," based on a successful social program. Third, by adroitly marketing its banner AIDS program by employing human rights principles, health officials constructed a triple alliance between the state, local private drug manufacturers, and domestic activists tied into transnational advocacy networks. I employ institutional and power analyses to examine the changing sources of power for transnational capital, social movements, and state actors, as well as analyze the impact patent protection has on the ability of Brazilian firms to produce medicines locally. I posit that globalization results in the formation of strong domestic coalitions who are capable of exploiting the "reputational dividends" of a successful social program in order to contest transnational corporate power. This symbolic form of power appears particularly well-disposed for "middle-income" countries that lack the material forms of power held by a global hegemon or transnational corporations. / text

Statement of the issue: Facing large HIV-infected populations, Sub-Saharan African countries are producing antiretroviral (ARV) drugs under provisions of the World Trade Organization’s Agreement on the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS). Article 7 states that the protection of intellectual property should increase technology transfer to developing countries. This clause and the debate over domestic manufacturers’ ability to provide low-cost ARVs need examination. Methods: Case studies from ARV manufacturing initiatives in Tanzania and South Africa analyzed conditions affecting two outcomes: the type of technology transfer arrangement entered (voluntary license or imitation) and the affordability of ARVs. Data were collected and analyzed from documents, key-informant interviews, and observation. Chi-squared and phi correlation statistics were then conducted across developing countries to test the association of voluntary ARV licensure with TRIPS-compliant patents and domestic firm ownership (state or private). Results: Tanzania’s weak patent system and poorly-financed, partially state-owned firm dissuaded industry investment, but attracted a non-government organization to transfer technology through imitation. Donor-financed ARV tenders, however, restrict competition to international quality-accredited products not produced by the firm. Without large volumes and manufacturing capacity, it cannot achieve economies of scale to reduce prices below imported ARVs. In South Africa, civil society challenged the strong patent system and poor government commitment that inhibited an ARV rollout. This and a well-financed, publicly-traded firm leveraged voluntary licenses. With international quality approval, the firm increased first-line ARV affordability; however, limited domestic competition keeps treatment prices above those of neighbouring countries. A multi-country analysis found 321 generic ARV manufacturing initiatives in 86 firms across 25 developing countries. Voluntary ARV licenses had a strong positive association with TRIPS-patent compliance (ф=.56, p<.0001) and a weak negative association with state-ownership (ф=.19, p<.0001). Firms in South Africa and India were granted 77% of licenses and accounted for most quality accredited generic ARVs. Conclusion: Despite positive association, technology transfer does not readily result from patent protection, particularly to state-owned firms. Developing countries must enact policies to enable affordable ARVs; yet, they must be cautious using local production to increase ARV access, as most initiatives cannot compete with high-volume generic manufacturers.

Le développement fulgurant noté dans le domaine des biotechnologies peut être attribué, sinon essentiellement du moins partiellement, à l’utilisation des ressources génétiques (RG) et des savoirs traditionnels (ST) acquis sur ces ressources. Ces ressources et ces savoirs sont, notamment, utilisés dans le cadre d’inventions biotechnologiques qui peuvent s’avérer concluantes et faire l’objet de demande de protection par brevet. Ce développement ne s’est tout de même pas réalisé sans heurts majeurs, il l’a été au prix de tumultueuses oppositions. En effet, la découverte progressive de la valeur commerciale et scientifique de telles ressources et de tels savoirs a fait naître des intérêts et attisé des rivalités qui ont fini par opposer fournisseurs et utilisateurs de ces matériels. Force est de constater que parmi leurs divergences, celle qui se rapporte au partage des avantages fait l’objet de discussions des plus âpres qui soient dans le domaine. Une solution qui a été, aussi, envisagée a porté sur les régimes d’accès et de partage des avantages. Ce partage des avantages, les pays fournisseurs espèrent le réaliser par le biais de l’obligation de divulguer l’origine des RG et des ST dans les demandes de brevets. L’application d’une telle exigence connaît des limites en ce sens qu’elle est d’application territoriale. C’est sur la base d’un tel constat que les pays fournisseurs envisagent d’en faire une obligation reconnue et applicable à un niveau international. Dans le cadre de cette étude, nous essaierons de démontrer que l’obligation de divulguer l’origine des RG et des ST dans les demandes de brevets, telle qu’elle est actuellement appliquée, ne constitue pas un moyen pertinent qui permettrait d’en arriver à un partage juste et équitable des avantages. / The rapid development in the field of biotechnology can be attributed to a large degree to the innovative use of genetic resources (GR), a significant portion of which were based on traditional knowledge (TK). The biotechnological inventions resulting from these resources and knowledge are, for the most part, subject to patent protection. This legal protection is designed to allow creators of innovative inventions the possibility to recoup their investment by limiting the use of the resulting creation by people other than the inventor and his assignees. Indeed, the gradual recognition of the scientific and commercial value of such resources and associated knowledge has raised interest and fuelled rivalries that eventually led to conflict over the use and trade of such products between user and producing States. A possible solution to resolve this conflict is the use of access and benefit-sharing agreements. One requirement proposed by producing States is an obligation to disclose the origin of GR and TK in patent applications. However, since the issues in this area, generally, exceed the national sphere, producing countries are attempting to make this requirement recognized at an international level. Accordingly the most effective and efficient means of doing so would be via the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) in the World Trade Organization WTO. In this thesis, we will demonstrate that the obligation to disclose the origin of GR and TK in patent applications does not constitute an appropriate means that would lead to a fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of their use.

The purpose of this dissertation is to assess the impact of patent rights regulation in universities in Sweden and Germany. Two empirical studies were conducted in order to answer the research question What are the incentive effects of patent rights regimes in the university?. A qualitative study based on interviews with representatives from the public support infrastructure in both countries assessed the role of technology transfer offices and other intermediaries in both countries. The process of patenting and commercial exploitation in Sweden and Germany was presented in stylised models. A quantitative study based on a survey of researchers in Sweden and Germany was carried out in order to find out the factors that impact on the decision to apply for patents. The quantitative results together with the qualitative findings from the interview study allow us to draw a number of conclusions. First of all, the incentive effects of patent rights regimes in universities in Sweden and Germany are rather small. Despite two diametrically opposed patent rights regimes – Sweden with researcher-ownership and Germany with universityownership – the results indicate that patenting is rather unaffected by it. Researchers in both countries are similarly patent-active. Thus, the patent rights regime has only limited explanatory power. Other factors seem to have a stronger impact on the incentives to patent. The infrastructure for patenting and commercialisation has an important role. Researchers that received support were more inclined to get their results patented and the results from the interview study indicate that it is mainly a well-working infrastructure that increases incentives to patent and not the patent rights regime alone. When it comes to the public infrastructure for patenting and commercial exploitation, the role of technology transfer offices etc. and the type of support is different in both countries. Swedish public infrastructure provides primarily support with regard to patenting and financial support aiming at the establishment and development of spin-offs. German public infrastructure focuses primarily on patenting and licensing. The patent rights regime has limited power to explain patenting. Structural factors of research organisations and personal characteristics of the researcher are more important. Structural factors such as research orientation (applied vs. basic) can explain patenting behaviour. Researchers that have previous experience with patenting show a greater propensity to patent. The survey results about hindrances to patenting have shown that a lot of researchers did not apply because they lacked knowledge, regarded the patenting process to be too time-consuming or too costly. This illustrates the importance of experience and infrastructure. Since the university wants the researcher to accomplish all three missions (research, teaching and transfer), it has to induce the researchers to do so. Nevertheless, the analysis of the reward system has shown that this is rarely the case. The empirical results in Sweden and Germany show that salary either directly or indirectly is determined by publications and the extent to which researchers acquire external funding. In addition to career concerns and salary, researchers have the possibility to earn a bonus. This bonus is related to the third mission (knowledge transfer) of universities and can take different forms. It can include honoraria for books or lectures, income from consulting assignments, or income from patents. It is therefore important to acknowledge that there is a broad range of means to transfer knowledge and technology. Consulting seems particularly important. The bonus associated with consulting seems to be less risky than the potential bonus of patenting. The maximum bonus with regard to patents is determined by the patent rights regime. In Sweden, the university teachers can receive the entire bonus, whereas this share is limited to 30% in Germany. The chances that a bonus materialises are uncertain. The basic role of technology transfer offices and other actors that support patenting and commercialisation is to reduce the risks associated with patenting. If the risks can be reduced the chances that a bonus will materialise are larger, which increases the incentives of researchers to exert effort with regard to patenting. / Syftet med avhandlingen är att analysera inflytandet av patenträttsregleringen i universitet i Sverige och Tyskland. Två empiriska studier har genomförts för att få ett svar på forskningsfrågan Vad är incitamentseffekterna av patenträttsregimer i universiteten?. En kvalitativ studie baserad på intervjuer med representanter för den offentliga infrastrukturen i båda länder analyserade tekniköverföringsaktörernas roll. Processen för patentering och kommersialisering i Sverige och Tyskland har illustrerats i grafiska modeller. En kvantitativ studie baserad på en enkätundersökning av forskare i båda länder har genomförts för att veta mer om de faktorer som påverkar beslutet att söka patent. De kvantitativa resultaten tillsammans med de kvalitativa resultaten från intervjustudien gör det möjligt att dra slutsatser. Först och främst så är incitamentseffekterna av patenträttsregimer i universiteten ganska små. Trots två motsatta patenträttsregimer – i Sverige äger forskaren forskningsresultaten (”Lärarundantaget”) i Tyskland universiteten – visar resultaten att patentering inte berörs av detta. Forskarna i båda länderna är lika patent aktiva. Patenträttsregimer har därför begränsad förklaringskraft. Andra faktorer har starkare påverkan på incitament att söka patent. Infrastrukturen för patentering och kommersialisering spelar en viktig roll. Forskare som fått stöd visade en större sannolikhet att söka patent och resultaten från intervjustudien visar att det är främst en väl fungerande infrastruktur som ökar incitament att söka patent och inte bara patenträttsregimen. Den offentliga infrastrukturen i båda länder har lika roller. Den svenska offentliga infrastrukturen stödjer patentering och nystartandet av företag genom finansiellt stöd. Den tyska offentliga infrastrukturen stödjer framförallt patentering och licensiering. Patenträttsregimer har begränsat förklaringskraft. Strukturella faktorer, såsom forskningsorientering (tillämpad vs. grundforskning) kan delvis förklara patentbenägenheten. Forskare som har erfarenhet av patentsystemet har större patentbenägenhet. Enkätresultaten om hinder att patentera har visat att många forskare avstår att söka patent på grund av begränsad kunskap eller på grund av tidsbrist. Detta illustrerar hur viktig erfarenhet och infrastruktur är. Universitet som vill att forskare ska fullfölja alla tre uppgifter (forskning, undervisning och kunskapsöverföring) borde uppmuntra forskarna att satsa på alla tre uppgifter. Ändå har analysen av belöningssystemen visat att så är sällan fallet. De empiriska resultaten i Sverige och Tyskland visar att lönen är direkt eller indirekt beroende av publikationer och i vilken mån forskarna lyckas att attrahera externa medel. Utöver karriären och lönen har forskarna möjlighet att tjäna en bonus. Bonusen är relaterad till tredje uppgiften (kunskapsöverföring) och kan ta olika former. Det kan inkludera arvode för böcker eller föreläsningar, inkomster från konsultverksamhet eller inkomster från patent. Därför är det viktigt att erkänna att det finns olika kanaler för kunskaps- och tekniköverföring. Konsultverksamhet har visat sig särskild viktigt eftersom bonusen i relation till konsultverksamhet är mindre riskabelt än bonusen relaterad till patent. Maximala bonus i relation till patent påverkas av patenträttsregimen. I Sverige kan forskaren få alla intäkter från ett patent. I Tyskland är andelen begränsat till 30 procent av alla bruttoinkomster från patentet. Chansen att en bonus kommer till stånd är osäkert. Tekniköverföringsorganisationer kan reducera riskerna som är relaterad till patent och kommersiell exploatering. Om riskerna kan reduceras och om chanserna att en bonus erhålls ökar, ökar incitamenten för forskarna att anstränga sig att patentera.

This dissertation is made of four distinct chapters. In the first chapter, I consider an exogenous restriction on the ability of French trucking firms to extend payment terms to their clients. I find that they provide trade credit at the cost of lower investment, lower return on assets, and higher default risk. In the second chapter, I show that private equity funds with a longer horizon select younger companies at an earlier stage of their development. Companies which receive funding from funds with a longer horizon increase their patent stock significantly more than companies which receive funding from investors with a shorter horizon. The third chapter presents a joint work with Ron Kaniel and David Sraer. We use detailed brokerage account data to provide a quantitative exploration of the behavior of retail investors during the financial crisis of 2008. We show that investors who appear more sophisticated on these dimensions in the pre-crisis period were, in the post-crisis period, less likely to flee to safety, more likely to engage in liquidity provisions and to earn higher returns. In the fourth chapter, I develop the idea that households have an imprecise knowledge of their portfolio's exposure to systematic risk and that this leads them to make investment mistakes. This idea is tested in the context of the decision to actively trade rather than passively invest in the stock market

This paper attempts to estimate the change in sales associated with pharmaceutical patent expiration. Using data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey and patent expiration information from historical Orange Book publications, I estimated monthly sales associated with choice pharmaceutical patents. I then used a fixed-effects model to estimate the average change in sales before and after initial patent expiration, controlling for patent extension factors. My findings support that pharmaceutical patent expiration results in a statistically significant drop in sales by 38% on average within this sample, and further, that patent extensions had a negligible effect on this relationship. The question of patent expiration’s effect on sale is economically important for the sake of evaluating the efficacy of pharmaceutical patent law in protecting the interests of brand-name and generic drug manufacturers as well as paying consumers.

Questa tesi e’ composta da cinque articoli sui temi dell’innovazione, diffusione e adozione di tecnologie energetiche efficienti. Il primo capitolo presenta una rassegna della letteratura empirica sulle dinamiche del cambiamento tecnologico in campo ambientale. Il secondo capitolo studia le piu’ importanti determinanti del flusso di conoscenza. Il terzo capitolo identifica le maggiori determinanti di domanda e offerta dell’innovazione, con particolare attenzione al ruolo della conoscenza internazionale. I risultati presentati mostrano come gli spillover di conoscenza favoriscano ulteriori innovazioni. I capitoli quarto e quinto studiano il settore di produzione dell’energia elettrica. Il capitolo quarto presenta un database di brevetti in technologie energetiche efficienti. Il capitolo quinto studia le determinanti dell’efficienza energetica nella produzione di energia elettrica da fonti fossili, con particolare attenzione al ruolo della tecnologia. / This dissertation is a collection of essays on innovation, diffusion and adoption of energy technologies. Chapter 1 presents a state-of-the art review of empirical contributions on TC dynamics as applied to eco-innovation. Chapter 2 explores the main determinants of knowledge flows and how they favor or hinder the flow of knowledge across border. Both geographical and technological distance hinder the flow of eco-knowledge. Chapter 3 identifies the main demand and supply-side determinants of innovation, with particular attention to the role of foreign knowledge. I point to the importance of knowledge spillovers in fostering further eco-innovation, especially in countries with medium to low innovative abilities. Chapters 4 and 5 focus on TC in the electricity sector, a main contributor to GHG emissions. In Chapter 4 presents the data selection process used to identify patents in efficient fossil electricity technologies and provides a worldwide analysis of innovation trends in these technologies. Chapter 5 studies the evolution of energy efficiency in fossil-fuel based electricity production, devoting particular attention to the contribution of knowledge to production efficiency.

Statement of the issue: Facing large HIV-infected populations, Sub-Saharan African countries are producing antiretroviral (ARV) drugs under provisions of the World Trade Organization’s Agreement on the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS). Article 7 states that the protection of intellectual property should increase technology transfer to developing countries. This clause and the debate over domestic manufacturers’ ability to provide low-cost ARVs need examination. Methods: Case studies from ARV manufacturing initiatives in Tanzania and South Africa analyzed conditions affecting two outcomes: the type of technology transfer arrangement entered (voluntary license or imitation) and the affordability of ARVs. Data were collected and analyzed from documents, key-informant interviews, and observation. Chi-squared and phi correlation statistics were then conducted across developing countries to test the association of voluntary ARV licensure with TRIPS-compliant patents and domestic firm ownership (state or private). Results: Tanzania’s weak patent system and poorly-financed, partially state-owned firm dissuaded industry investment, but attracted a non-government organization to transfer technology through imitation. Donor-financed ARV tenders, however, restrict competition to international quality-accredited products not produced by the firm. Without large volumes and manufacturing capacity, it cannot achieve economies of scale to reduce prices below imported ARVs. In South Africa, civil society challenged the strong patent system and poor government commitment that inhibited an ARV rollout. This and a well-financed, publicly-traded firm leveraged voluntary licenses. With international quality approval, the firm increased first-line ARV affordability; however, limited domestic competition keeps treatment prices above those of neighbouring countries. A multi-country analysis found 321 generic ARV manufacturing initiatives in 86 firms across 25 developing countries. Voluntary ARV licenses had a strong positive association with TRIPS-patent compliance (ф=.56, p<.0001) and a weak negative association with state-ownership (ф=.19, p<.0001). Firms in South Africa and India were granted 77% of licenses and accounted for most quality accredited generic ARVs. Conclusion: Despite positive association, technology transfer does not readily result from patent protection, particularly to state-owned firms. Developing countries must enact policies to enable affordable ARVs; yet, they must be cautious using local production to increase ARV access, as most initiatives cannot compete with high-volume generic manufacturers.

企業的創新已經進入到應用專利權進行策略佈局的階段，因此綜合研發投入和專利產出的創新效率便成為關注企業競爭力的重要指標。而影響創新效率的關鍵在於企業決策者的策略意圖，但由於新興國家法規體制尚不完備，與決策者相關的公司治理因素成為創新效率的核心議題。為深入瞭解其中的連結，本研究以中國的上市公司為研究對象，並從外資投資者的角度探討股權結構與創新效率之間的關係。研究結果發現外資股對於創新效率有正向影響，若與國有股同時存在，原有的正向影響則會減弱；但當國有股私有化的程度愈高，外資股所受的干擾降低，對創新效率的正向影響便愈大；另外法人股的存在則更能增進外資股提升企業的創新效率。 / Nowadays, enterprises regard patents as a key strategy to enhance its innovation capability. Therefore, innovative efficiency (IE), measured as the relation between R&D expenditures and patents granted, becomes an important index to observe corporate competitiveness. Ownership structures could affect the outcome of IE as shareholders are ultimate decision makers. However, this may be a more serious issue in emerging countries, as they generally have weak legal environments and shareholders do not fully understand the details of firms’ innovation efforts. This study explores this issue based on a sample of Chinese listed companies and examines the extent to which ownership structures, especially foreign shareholders, are associated with the IE of publicly listed firms in China. The results indicate that IE is positively associated with the foreign shareholdings, while this relation turns negative when there are state shareholdings. As state shareholding have negative effects on IE and could interfere the role of foreign shareholdings in improving a company’s innovation activities, the results also suggest that the level of state shareholding privatization improves the association between IE and foreign shareholding. Moreover, the relation between IE and the foreign shareholding is more pronounced if institutional shareholdings exist.

Innovation comprises the processes of invention and commercialization. While the importance of innovation, especially commercialization, has been widely recognized, existing studies have largely overlooked the commercialization process. By examining the determinants of uses and nonuses of patented inventions from firms at the levels of technology, organization, and project/invention, this study attempts to help fill a critical gap in the literature. In doing so, it enriches theoretical understandings of innovation and, in particular, builds on the evolutionary explanation of technology development, the Teecian framework on profiting from innovation, Transaction Cost Economics (TCE), the Knowledge-Based View (KBV), and open innovation and innovation network perspectives. It also reveals an empirical reality of commercial use and strategic nonuse of patents. The study is based on a novel dataset constructed from multiple sources: inventor surveys, the United States Patent and Trademark Office online database, and COMPUSTAT, among others. After examining the factors affecting overall propensity to commercialize patented inventions, this study explores the factors that affect the organizational paths of commercialization. The empirical estimation indicates that technological uncertainty and a strong internal position of complementary assets raise the propensity for internal commercialization. The study argues that openness of innovation processes and network relationships should affect the choice of commercialization paths. Consistent with the hypotheses, empirical estimations show that external industrial knowledge increases the propensity of internal commercialization. The study also indicates that collaboration has diverging effects on the choice of commercialization paths. While collaboration with firms in vertical relationships tends to favor internal commercialization, collaboration with firms in horizontal relationships tends to favor external commercialization (licensing, start-up). Finally, the study reports findings on the strategic use of patents and then tests hypotheses about the factors driving strategic nonuse. It concludes that a significant portion of U.S. patents are indeed filed for strategic reasons. It also finds that characteristics of technology and firms are significantly associated with different strategies. In particular, firms are more likely to use a patent for strategic defensive purposes when they have larger amounts of assets. The study concludes with discussing managerial and policy implications.