Inventors Dynamics in Balkanic Area: Evidences by a Network Analysis

Abstract

Patent data is a key source of information for innovation economists. In recent decades it has been possible to observe its significant diffusion and success mainly thanks either to archives digitization or to authorities' greater openness with respect to patent granting procedure. Furthermore, the use of this information over time has not been limited to simple statistics on patents and their classification, but, going further, has extended to the analysis of applicants, inventors, citations, and much more. By this seminal paper, we are going to analyze starting from Data analysis related to a selection of Balkanic Countries, chosen among the most dynamic in innovation process and production of patents: Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. How it will explain into the work, this selection was not accidental: the aim was to represent the evolution of these Countries, in terms of patent internationalization, depending on their "link" with the European Union, not all Western Balkan Countries are in fact part of it. Croatia, an official EU member since 2012, was chosen as the representative state of European influence. Some interesting results were obtained with a novel approach by social network analysis techniques.