This course examines the economic and societal dimensions of technological innovation, emphasizing how new ideas emerge, spread, and transform markets. It introduces key concepts in the economics of innovation, methods for measuring innovation, and the origins of innovative activity within firms and industries. Students explore the economics of intellectual property and gain hands-on experience using patent databases (Orbit) to analyze innovation trends. The course further explores the financing of innovation, analyzing the full innovation financing life cycle—from early-stage venture capital and public funding to corporate investment and market financing. It examines the roles of entrepreneurs, investors, financial institutions, and policymakers, and how sources of funding shape the innovation process and its outcomes. Finally, it addresses globalization’s impact on innovation systems, labor mobility, and the international diffusion of knowledge, concluding with a discussion of corporate science and the strategic role of R&D in global innovation networks.
- Profesor: Diego Useche