科学研究
报告题目：When Innovation Meets Politics: Patent Examiner Partisanship and Green Technology
报告人：张文瑞
报告时间：2025年9月24日（周三）9:00-10:30
报告地点：#腾讯会议：729-749-340
主办单位：东北财经大学会计学院 辽宁省资本市场财务与会计研究生创新与学术交流中心
【报告摘要】
We investigate whether U.S. patent examiners’ political ideology affects the outcomes of green patent applications and the subsequent innovation incentives of inventors and firms. We find that Republican examiners are significantly more likely than non-Republican examiners to reject green patent applications–particularly those targeting climate change, and especially during Republican administrations and periods of heightened partisan polarization over climate issues. We estimate that the higher rejection rate associated with Republican examiners translates into over 10,000 additional rejected green patents and results in an economic value loss of at least $20.15 billion (in 2025 dollars) during our sample period. An analysis of approved green patents’ quality indicates that the partisan gap in rejection rates cannot be explained by Republican examiners applying stricter quality standards in evaluating green patents. Rather, the results suggest that examiners of differing political ideologies weigh the societal and economic values of green patents differently. Moreover, rejections by Republican examiners disproportionately deter inventors and firms from pursuing future green innovation. Overall, our findings indicate that examiners’ ideological beliefs can influence the patent review process, altering innovation incentives and shaping the trajectory of green technology development.
【报告人简介】
张文瑞，美国科罗拉多州立大学金融与房地产系金融学副教授。曾任职于香港中文大学和厦门大学。他的主要研究方向为实证公司金融与财务会计档案。相关研究成果发表于Journal of Financial Economics、The Accounting Review及Management Science。
【特别提醒】
未经论文作者和主办方允许，严禁将讲座内容录制并公开传播，违者将有可能被追究法律责任。
