Technology in Latin America’s Past and Present: New Evidence from the Patent Records

Abstract

In spite of important recent work on the history of technology and the dynamics of technological change in Latin America, the literature in this field remains relatively undeveloped. In part, this is due to a relative scarcity of available sources for conducting research. This research note argues that national patent records are an important and untapped source for a wide range of studies on technology and technological change. The research note announces the creation of major new comprehensive databases of patent records in several Latin American countries, part of a larger, ongoing project to compile and make publically accessible patent records across the region. We also provide an introduction to the history of patents in Latin America, followed by a discussion of both the use (and misuse) of patents as historical evidence and recent advances in collecting and using patent evidence in Latin America.A pesar de valiosos trabajos sobre la historia de la tecnología y las dinámicas del cambio tecnológico en América Latina, no se puede afirmar que exista una extensa historiografía sobre el asunto. En parte, esto se debe a la escasez relativa de fuentes de investigación. Este artículo sostiene, precisamente, que los registros nacionales de patentes han sido muy poco explotados y pueden constituir una importante fuente para una amplia gama de estudios sobre la tecnología y el cambio tecnológico. En concreto, se anuncia la creación de nuevas y exhaustivas bases de datos históricas de patentes en varios países de América Latina, como parte de un proyecto en curso, de mayor envergadura, que pretende compilar y hacer accesible al público los registros de toda la región. Se aporta, en suma, una introducción sobre la historia de las patentes en América Latina, seguida de un análisis de las ventajas e inconvenientes de su uso como evidencia histórica, así como de los últimos avances en su recopilación.

A comparative approach to national innovative capacity in the long-run: Spain between Europe and Latin America

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Globalization and Technological Capabilities: Evidence from Mexico’s Patent Records ca. 1870-1911

“…For firms in the North Atlantic, the practice of taking multiple foreign patents went hand-in-hand with broader strategies of foreign investment and intense competition to capture foreign sales markets. Mexico's patenting experience through this era of globalization differs little from the experience of Argentina, Brazil, and Chile (Beatty, Pineda, and Sáiz, 2015). Foreign patent applications provide one rough indication of the scale and scope 6 For sources and further discussion see Beatty (2002) and Beatty and Sáiz (2007).…”

Patents, foreign direct investment and economic growth in Australia, 1860–2010

“…Interest has again focussed on the larger industrial nations, which have generated the bulk of global patents including Germany (Burhop, 2010; Streb et al, 2006), Britain (Dutton, 1984), USA (Lamoreaux & Sokoloff, 2001), and several comparative approaches (Inkster, 2003; Khan, 2013; Streb, 2016). There have been recent calls for more quantitative research on innovation across a broader range of nations (Andersson & La Mela, 2020; Beatty et al, 2017; Streb, 2016). Some of the patents literature has investigated the nature and direction of causality between innovation and growth, as we shall see below.…”