MAX-PLANCK-INSTITUT FÜR WISSENSCHAFTSGESCHICHTE Max Planck Institute for the History of Science

Event

Jul 16, 2025
The Anatomy of Chinese Innovation: Insights on Patent Quality and Ownership

In this study, the authors Philipp Boeing, Loren Brandt, Ruochen Dai, Kevin Lim and Bettina Peters develop a new method to measure the importance of a patent for subsequent innovation, based on the use of a Large Language Model to process patent text data and a new model of the innovation process. They apply this method to study the evolution of patenting in China from 1985-2019, also classifying patent ownership using a comprehensive business registry. Their analysis yields seven novel facts about Chinese patenting. Among these are that patenting has become narrower and less innovative over time; that knowledge within China has become more important than knowledge outside of China for directing innovative activity in China; and that knowledge produced by Chinese entities within China has been more important than knowledge produced by foreign entities filing patents in China.

Please find the paper for the event here and the Policy Brief for the paper here.

Biography

  • Philipp Böing
    Philipp Boeing

    Philipp Boeing is an Associate Professor at the Goethe University Frankfurt and a Senior Researcher at the ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research in Mannheim, Germany. In his research, he investigates the role of innovation incentives and the impact of innovation on firm performance and economic growth. His work is characterized by a combination of unique micro data, econometric analysis and recent empirical methods. He is particularly interested in policy evaluation, patent indicators, productivity, and import competition.

    With a strong empirical focus on China and its global rise, he maintains a critical understanding of the data generating process and institutions in China. He has advised the World Bank, the OECD, and the German Commission of Experts for Research and Innovation, among others. He is on the Board of Directors of the China Institute at Goethe University, an Adjunct Fellow with Tsinghua University, a Research Fellow with the IZA - Institute of Labor Economics, and a Faculty Scholar of the Asia Innovation and Entrepreneurship Association. Previously, he was an Assistant Professor at Peking University and a Taiwan Fellow at Academia Sinica.

Organizer(s)
Address
Boltzmannstraße 18, 14195 Berlin, Germany
Room
B18-008/Online
Contact and Registration

We welcome both internal and external guests. For registration (a limited number of places are available on site), please contact Dr. Franziska Fröhlich.

2025-07-16T10:00:00SAVE IN I-CAL 2025-07-16 10:00:00 2025-07-16 11:30:00 The Anatomy of Chinese Innovation: Insights on Patent Quality and Ownership In this study, the authors Philipp Boeing, Loren Brandt, Ruochen Dai, Kevin Lim and Bettina Peters develop a new method to measure the importance of a patent for subsequent innovation, based on the use of a Large Language Model to process patent text data and a new model of the innovation process. They apply this method to study the evolution of patenting in China from 1985-2019, also classifying patent ownership using a comprehensive business registry. Their analysis yields seven novel facts about Chinese patenting. Among these are that patenting has become narrower and less innovative over time; that knowledge within China has become more important than knowledge outside of China for directing innovative activity in China; and that knowledge produced by Chinese entities within China has been more important than knowledge produced by foreign entities filing patents in China. Please find the paper for the event here and the Policy Brief for the paper here. Biography Philipp Boeing Philipp Boeing is an Associate Professor at the Goethe University Frankfurt and a Senior Researcher at the ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research in Mannheim, Germany. In his research, he investigates the role of innovation incentives and the impact of innovation on firm performance and economic growth. His work is characterized by a combination of unique micro data, econometric analysis and recent empirical methods. He is particularly interested in policy evaluation, patent indicators, productivity, and import competition. With a strong empirical focus on China and its global rise, he maintains a critical understanding of the data generating process and institutions in China. He has advised the World Bank, the OECD, and the German Commission of Experts for Research and Innovation, among others. He is on the Board of Directors of the China Institute at Goethe University, an Adjunct Fellow with Tsinghua University, a Research Fellow with the IZA - Institute of Labor Economics, and a Faculty Scholar of the Asia Innovation and Entrepreneurship Association. Previously, he was an Assistant Professor at Peking University and a Taiwan Fellow at Academia Sinica. Boltzmannstraße 18, 14195 Berlin, Germany B18-008/Online Franziska Marliese FröhlichDieu Linh Bui Dao Franziska Marliese FröhlichDieu Linh Bui Dao Europe/Berlin public