WIPO Economics Working Paper On Mobility Of Inventors

By Brittany Ngo for Intellectual Property Watch

Central American, Caribbean, and African economies have the most “inventor brain drain” in relation to the number of home country inventors, according to a recent working paper released by the World Intellectual Property Organization. Data for the study included information on inventor nationality and residence available in Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications.

This paper [pdf], authored by WIPO economists Ernest Miguélez and Carsten Fink, provides an overview of inventor migration patterns, based on information contained in a newly constructed database. The authors believe that the new database “meaningfully captures a phenomenon of growing importance,” and “opens new avenues for research, promising to generate fresh empirical insights that can inform both innovation policy and migration policy.”

Miguélez and Fink describe inventor migration as “a phenomenon that is highly concentrated among a relatively small number of countries.” Among the largest receiving countries, the United States had the highest inventor immigration rate by far. The US is followed by Australia and Canada while European countries “lagged behind in attracting inventive talent.” In particular, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom observe a higher number of inventors who emigrate compared to the number of those who immigrate.

The paper was among economics publications posted to the WIPO website here.

Brittany Ngo is currently completing her Master’s in Health Policy and Global Health at the Yale School of Public Health and previously obtained a Bachelor’s of Arts in Economics from Georgetown University. Through her studies she has developed an interest in health-related intellectual property issues. She is a summer intern at Intellectual Property Watch.