Abstract
The size distribution of the domains of US-patented technological knowledge obeys an exponential law, revealing a disproportionable concentration of progress among larger domains. Our analyses suggest that this phenomenon is explained by a combination of two factors. First, domains’ trajectories of growth have inherently different potentials. Second, differences in domains’ potentials are magnified by a mechanism—domains’ self-hybridization—endogenous to the process of knowledge growth. Our results show that in addition to being stable, the observed distribution of technological progress is likely to arise under very general conditions.
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Carnabuci, G. The distribution of technological progress. Empir Econ 44, 1143–1154 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00181-012-0586-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00181-012-0586-0