Innovation and Dynamic Efficiency in Plant Biotechnology: An Introduction to the Researchable Issues
Abstract
The agricultural biotechnology industry is characterized by
heavy investment in research and development, dynamic technical
change, and increasing concentration in both the output
market and the ownership of intellectual properties that support
ongoing innovation. This raises questions about the industry's
ability to continue to deliver path-breaking innovations. This
paper lays out these questions, describes the relevant data
(including the newly available agricultural biotechnology intellectual
property database), and provides a conceptual framework
for addressing the questions. The empirical discussion and conceptual
framework in this paper constitute a structure upon
which the remaining articles in this issue build to address the
overall question of how best we can maintain socially desirable
rates of innovation and dynamic efficiency in plant biotechnology.
Citation
AgBioForum, 8(2&3): 52-63.