Religion, Property Right and Innovation
Аннотация
This paper examines the impact of property rights and religion on patent activity. Using panel data for 46 countries for the period between 1996 and 2016 and employing the fixed effects estimation, we model the impact of these factors on the number of patent applications. Macroeconomic factors, R&D, education, and other non-formal institutional factors such as religious affiliation and religious diversity are taken into account. In our paper, we are investigating the influence of religious affiliation and religious diversity on property rights protection and the influence of religion-related factors on the relationship between the protection of intellectual property and patent activity.
We found that an increase in the number of educated Catholics has a positive impact on property rights protection and enhances the positive effect that stronger property rights have on patent activity. An increase in religious diversity mitigated the positive impact of Catholicism on property rights and the impact of the latter on patent activity. We also found a negative impact of property rights on patent activity in educated Catholic and Protestant countries.
We believe that educated Protestants are less oriented towards following religious dogmas, which reduces the positive impact of this religion on property rights and, therefore, on patent activity. The positive impact of Protestantism also tends to decline together with the decline in income.
Islam has a positive impact on property rights and on patent activity in educated countries with small Muslim minorities.
We also found that religious diversity has a positive impact on property rights and patent activity, although this impact decreases in low-income countries and in countries with higher levels of education.
Our research findings can be used for devising state innovation policies and migration policies.
Keywords: innovation; patenting; R&D; property right; religious diversity; religion; Protestant; Catholic; Muslim; education
We found that an increase in the number of educated Catholics has a positive impact on property rights protection and enhances the positive effect that stronger property rights have on patent activity. An increase in religious diversity mitigated the positive impact of Catholicism on property rights and the impact of the latter on patent activity. We also found a negative impact of property rights on patent activity in educated Catholic and Protestant countries.
We believe that educated Protestants are less oriented towards following religious dogmas, which reduces the positive impact of this religion on property rights and, therefore, on patent activity. The positive impact of Protestantism also tends to decline together with the decline in income.
Islam has a positive impact on property rights and on patent activity in educated countries with small Muslim minorities.
We also found that religious diversity has a positive impact on property rights and patent activity, although this impact decreases in low-income countries and in countries with higher levels of education.
Our research findings can be used for devising state innovation policies and migration policies.
Keywords: innovation; patenting; R&D; property right; religious diversity; religion; Protestant; Catholic; Muslim; education