Economists Explore Link Between Intellectual Property and Development
Geneva, November 24, 2003
Press Updates UPD/2003/212
A number of leading economists have agreed on the potential of intellectual property (IP) as a powerful tool for economic development, particularly in today's knowledge-based economy. The economists, meeting on November 18, 2003 with officials of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) responsible for advising member states on the integration of IP into economic policies, noted that IP rights could affect economic growth through a multitude of simultaneous mechanisms. These were related to trade, foreign direct investment, research and development and investment in human capital which could be measured using a range of economic indicators. The experts encouraged WIPO to provide comprehensive and comparable data across countries on the domestic use of IP rights and to analyze the underlying characteristics of countries that support innovation to assess the impact of IP on economic growth.
The meeting took place within the framework of WIPO's efforts to provide policy-makers with advice on the integration of IP into macro-economic policies, supported by analysis of reliable data on the linkage between IP and economic development. The economists included (in alphabetical order of names) Mr. Bibek Debroy (Research), the Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies, Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, New Dehli, India, Dr. Mattias Ganslandt, Economist, Research Institute of Industrial Economics, Stockholm, Sweden, Dr. Keith Maskus, Professor and Department Chair, Economics, University of Colorado, USA, and Dr. Mark Rogers, Tutor of Economics and Management, Harris Manchester College, University of Oxford, UK.
The use of IP as a tool to promote economic, social and cultural development has recently become an important question for policy-makers particularly in developing countries. WIPO Director General, Dr. Kamil Idris, since he took office in 1997, has consistently emphasized a need for better understanding of the positive impact of IP on economic growth. These consultations are part of a process to build up arguments and evidence on the effectiveness of IP as a tool to promote economic growth and to provide tailored advice to policy-makers on the basis of such evidence.
The meeting suggested a role for WIPO to provide economists with statistical data for further research and to explore formulation of a new methodology, and identify relevant economic benchmarks to measure the impact of IP on economic development. This would help policy-makers around the world to understand their level of national IP development and enable countries to identify their strengths and weaknesses in the knowledge-based economy. The economists also endorsed WIPO's vision that in the knowledge-economy of the 21st century, IP and the intellectual capital it encapsulated, was the principle currency.
In assessing how IP worked in practice, participants also discussed the key question of technology transfer, the existence of systemic problems in developing countries which impeded the use of IP, price discrimination and the importance of case studies to establish the necessary linkages.
For further information, please contact the Media Relations and Public Affairs Section at WIPO:
- Tel: (+41 22) 338 81 61 or (+41 22) 338 95 47;
- E-mail: publicinf@wipo.int
- Fax: (+41 22) 338 88 10.