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http://dx.doi.org/10.15266/KEREA.2014.23.1.067

Is the technology in renewable energy converging among countries? : Using the patent data of OECD  

Oh, Keunyeob (Chungnam National University)
Yoo, Jinman (Chungnam National University)
Publication Information
Environmental and Resource Economics Review / v.23, no.1, 2014 , pp. 67-89 More about this Journal
Abstract
This paper uses patent data of OECD countries in order to investigate if there is converging tendency in renewable energy area. We used the concepts of sigma convergence and beta convergence to measure the convergence. GINI coefficient, HH index are also borrowed from other area of economics. The results show that technology level does not seem to have been converging in this area. Even though the number of patent in relatively less advanced countries has been increased a lot, we could find no evidence that there is the tendency that the gap among the countries have been narrowed. This is quite different from the results of IT industry or other industry since we could find the converging tendency in the data of those industries. Instead, it seems that there is the convergence club among most advance countries in renewable energy area.
Keywords
renewable energy; convergence; patent; technology spillover; convergence club;
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