What makes World's Fair of 1876,in Philadelphia a natural experiment suitable to study the impact of patent protection on innovation? (The author of the study also used the data from the 1851 Fair in London.)

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The World's Fair of 1876 in Philadelphia was suitable to study the impact of patent protection on innovation because many countries with varying patent laws were represented in the fair, and it was difficult to hold a patent outside the country of origin. This allowed for a natural experiment of comparing the level of innovation in countries with stronger patent protection to those with weaker or no patent protection. The author also used data from the 1851 Fair in London, which further provided a comparative analysis between different patent systems in different countries.

What Makes World's Fair of 1876,in Philadelphia a Natural Experiment