The CIVETS countries, an explorative study of patent networks and export data

Abstract

In modern time the world economies are more dependent on knowledge and immaterial property rights in order to obtain economic growth (Barkhordari, Fattahi and Azimi, 2018). For several years the BRIC countries have been known to be the most “up and coming” emerging economies in the world. According to several experts and sources the CIVETS countries are the once to look for when seeking growth in the future as the BRIC`S are cooling of (REUTERS, 2018) (KNOWLEDGE.WHARTON.UPENN.EDU, 2009). The CIVETS are Colombia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt, Turkey and South Africa. This study takes a knowledge-based approach when assessing the knowledge-based economies of the six respective countries. This study aims to reveal if there are any linkages between the countries representation in the united states patent database and how well they perform in terms of Gross domestic product development. All patents that had at least one inventor from one of the countries was downloaded. The collaboration network among the home addresses of the inventor was analyzed and mapped. The patent classes were mapped so that it is possible to see a weighted representation for which patent classes the countries innovated within. All of this patent data has been compared with key measures such as GDP per capita, net export numbers, economic complexity and trade partners with respect to export. This study is experimental as this type of work has not to my best knowledge been conducted on the six CIVETS countries as a group before. Based on previous literature regarding the correlation among scientometrics and economic growth one would expect that the countries with the highest number of patents per capita was the once that had the most rapid GDP development. This was not the case. For instance, South-Africa was the country that had the highest Patent to inhabitant ratio and the flattest GDP development curve. Vietnam and Indonesia were the countries with the most rapid growth in GDP, despite that they had a significant less number of patents for each inhabitant. Indonesia and Vietnam also had the lowest economic complexity score. The field/quality of innovation seems to be more important than the frequency of innovation in terms of GDP development. It might be that the most developed economies have already utilized their growth potential. Strong linkages between export and innovative collaboration was evident. The exception was that Asian countries was important export partners but almost never involved in the same patents as CIVETS countries.