Knowledge path dependence, external connection, and radical inventions: Evidence from Chinese Academy of Sciences

Abstract

Public research institutes (PRIs) have played an increasingly prominent role in leading radical inventions, which are considered a major source of long-term economic growth. However, there is little empirical evidence on the factors affecting radical inventions in PRIs, which have been at the forefront of scientific research and technological development. This study fills this gap by providing an empirical analysis of radical inventions at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), a conglomerate of PRIs in China. Based on a newly compiled data set on CAS patents, this study explores the effects of knowledge path dependence, external network connections, and their interactions on radical inventions in PRIs. Our empirical findings reveal that knowledge path dependence negatively affects radical inventions; there is an inverse U-shaped relationship between external network connections and radical inventions, and weak external connections can alleviate the hindrance originating from knowledge path dependence, thus prompting radical inventions.