The Fragile Foundations of Regional Scientific Advantage: The Impact of US Stem Cell Policy on the Geography of Scientific Discovery

This paper evaluates the impact of restrictions on embryonic stem cell use in US Federally funded scientific research on the geography of scientific discovery. In order for localized knowledge spillovers to be translated into sustained scientific leadership, researchers in close proximity to an original discovery must be able to exploit that discovery more rapidly and more intensively than distant researchers. Local researchers must be able to take scientific advantage of a discovery more quickly than their more distant competitors are able to catch up. This paper exploits an exogenous shock to the process of step-by-step scientific discovery to assess the sensitivity of regional scientific agglomeration to a temporary shift in the knowledge production process. Specifically, this paper examines the impact of the Bush Administration