Template-type: ReDif-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Celbis M.G. 
Author-Name: Turkeli S. 
Author-workplace-name: UNU-MERIT
Title: Does too much work hamper innovation? Evidence for diminishing returns of work hours for patent grants
Abstract: This study suggests that individual time is an important factor that  needs to be considered in innovation research. We define two types of  time work time and free time. We find that work time has a positive but  diminishing effect on innovative output such that after a certain point  the innovation-enhancing role of work time is taken over by individual  free time. Using a sample of OECD countries and Russia, we estimate a  quadratic relationship between work time and per capita innovative  output. For a hypothetical economy that has no other holidays but  weekends, we estimate that individuals should not work more than about  6.6 hours a day for maximizing innovative output. We also present a  categorization of countries based on their innovative output and work  hours that may kindle interest for certain case-specific future  research.
Keywords: Labor Economics Policies; Time Allocation and Labor Supply; Technological Change; Research and Development; Intellectual Property Rights: General; Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives; 
Classification-JEL: O30; O31; J08; J22; .
Series:  Working Papers
Creation-Date: 2014
Number: 053
File-URL: http://pub.maastrichtuniversity.nl/835922bf-8de3-4cb7-bfe6-61b71dfb5ee6
File-Format: application/pdf
File-Size: 352031
Handle: RePEc:unm:unumer:2014053