Data and code for: Effects of Copyrights on Science. Evidence from the WWII Book Republication Program
Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s) Barbara Biasi, Yale University. ; Petra Moser, NYU
Version: View help for Version V2
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| dataset | 06/14/2020 04:27:PM | ||
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application/pdf | 130.8 KB | 06/14/2020 12:20:PM |
Project Citation:
Biasi, Barbara, and Moser, Petra . Data and code for: Effects of Copyrights on Science. Evidence from the WWII Book Republication Program. Nashville, TN: American Economic Association [publisher], 2023. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2023-10-29. https://doi.org/10.3886/E118468V2
Project Description
Summary:
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Copyrights, which establish intellectual property in music, science, and other creative goods, are intended to encourage creativity. Yet, copyrights also raise the cost of accessing existing work - potentially discouraging future innovation. This paper uses an exogenous shift towards weak copyrights (and low access costs) during WWII to examine the potentially adverse effects of copyrights on science. Using two alternative identification strategies, we show that weaker copyrights encouraged the creation of follow-on science, measured by citations. This change is driven by a reduction in access costs, allowing scientists at less affluent institutions to use existing knowledge in new follow-on research.
Funding Sources:
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National Science Foundation (1151180-Moser)
Scope of Project
Subject Terms:
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Copyright;
Science
JEL Classification:
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O34 Intellectual Property and Intellectual Capital
O34 Intellectual Property and Intellectual Capital
Geographic Coverage:
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United States, Germany
Time Period(s):
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1920 – 1970
Collection Date(s):
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2014 – 2019
Universe:
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Our main data include BRP books in chemistry and mathematics, a control group of Swiss books in the same fields, and all new articles and books that cite BRP and Swiss books between 1920 and 1970. Two alternative measures for scientific output capture new PhD theses in mathematics and US patents that use knowledge in BRP books.
Data Type(s):
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observational data
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