This paper develops a theory of invention by drawing on complex adaptive systems theory. We see invention as a process of recombinant search over technology landscapes. This framing suggests that inventors might face a "complexity catastrophe" when they attempt to combine highly interdependent...

Organizations trade off between short-run operational advantages and long-run adaptive ability. They vary along this dimension through the degree of interdependence created by the structure of production. This study focuses on one structural characteristic - vertical integration - that creates...

We find that the enforcement of non-compete clauses significantly impedes entrepreneurship and regional growth. Based on a panel of metropolitan areas in the United States from 1993 to 2002, our results indicate that, relative to regions in states that enforce non-compete covenants, an increase...

Although prior empirical research has established an association between science and the widespread diffusion of knowledge, the exact mechanism(s) through which science catalyzes information flow remains somewhat ambiguous. This paper investigates whether the knowledge diffusion associated with...

Scientists, social scientists and politicians frequently credit basic science with stimulating technological innovation, and with it economic growth. To support this idea, researchers have shown that patents based on university research receive more citations - a measure of patent importance -...

We investigate the competitive consequence of vertical integration on organizational performance using a comprehensive dataset of U.S. motion picture production companies, which includes information on their vertical scope and competitive overlaps. Vertical integration appears to change the...

To a large extent, the recent interest in the geographic distribution of economic activity marks a return to earlier times. Both of the two primary disciplines – economics and sociology – that inform the study of strategy began with explicit consideration of the importance of geography. On...

Studies consistently find regions dense in concentrations of similar firms to be fecund sources of new firms of the same kind. This pattern persists even in industries with negative returns to geographic concentration. Why do these patterns persist? On the one hand, social networks may constrain...