Petra Moser’s research aims to shed light on the determinants of creativity in technological invention, literature, and the arts.
Her empirical analyses of innovations that were exhibited at 19th century world fairs have shown that the large majority of technological innovations during this fertile era occurred outside of the U.S. and British patent systems. A 2005 paper in the American Economic Review establishes that patent laws may influence the direction if not the level of technical change. Related research investigates the effects of patent pools and compulsory licensing on the rate and direction of technical change. For a summary of this research, see http://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/jep.27.1.23.
In a new series of projects, Professor Moser examines the effects of high-skilled immigrants on innovation, and investigates the effects of changes in copyright terms on science, literature, and music. See http://ssrn.com/author=345952 for current working papers, and the attached CV for her publications.