National Systems of Innovations and Natural Resources Clusters: Evidence from Copper Mining Industry Patents

Abstract

While natural resource-based industries are very efficient exploiting the natural endowments in developing countries and having an important participation in world markets (e.g. copper in Chile), most of them have not generated economic development based in knowledge-based resources in their societies. While this article reviews the national system of innovations in which the mining industry in Chile is based, we cannot neglect the importance of an international dimension in terms of its spatial dimension of the system of innovations [Fromhold-Eisebith, M. (2007) Bridging scales in innovation policies: How to link regional, national and international innovation systems, European Planning Studies, 15, pp. 217–233.] given the globalized characteristics of the mining industry. We found that Chile contributes 36% of the total copper production in the world but the investments in research and development are very low compared with the revenues of the industry and there are almost no patents originated in Chile registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) data base, the most important market for knowledge-based innovations. We can conclude that Chile is still depending on comparative advantages rather than constructed advantages [Cooke, P. (2007) To construct regional advantage from innovation systems first build policy platforms, European Planning Studies, 15, pp. 179–194.].

Notes