R&D spillovers to agriculture: Measurement and application

This paper documents research and development (R&D) spillovers between nations and between industries, discussing some theoretical and measurement issues. A new technique makes patent data more practical for economic uses, allowing analysis of the industries of manufacture and sectors of use for inventions. New technology introduced for use in the agricultural and food processing sectors in 14 less developed and newly industrialized nations is traced, comparing the regional and industrial sources of these inventions across time. An application shows that both international and interindustrial spillovers and to agricultural total factor productivity, and distinguishes between the direct and indirect effects of spillovers from public and private, domestic and foreign sources. (JEL C67, O31, O47, Q16).