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Research Details
A Calculation of the Social Returns to Innovation
Abstract
This paper estimates the social returns to investments in innovation. The disparate spillovers associated with innovation, including imitation, business stealing, and intertemporal spillovers, have made calculations of the social returns difficult. Here we provide an economy-wide, average estimate that nets out the many spillover margins. We further assess the role of capital investment, diffusion delays, learning-by-doing, productivity mismeasurement, health outcomes, and international spillovers in assessing the average social returns. Overall, our estimates suggest that the social returns are very large. Even under conservative assumptions, innovation efforts produce social benefits that are many multiples of the investment costs.
Type
Book Chapter
Author(s)
Benjamin F. Jones, Lawrence H. Summers
Date Published
2022
Citations
Jones, Benjamin F., and Lawrence H. Summers. 2022. A Calculation of the Social Returns to Innovation.