The influence of key enabling technologies on technological innovation

Abstract

Key enabling technologies (KETs) have gained attention in science and policy due to their multidisciplinary nature and their ability to link distant knowledge fields, endowing them with a central role in recombinant innovation processes. However, it remains under-researched whether KETs generally have a higher influence on innovation processes than non-KETs. This study addresses the question by using propensity score matching and regression analysis. First, a balanced dataset is created through matching KET patents to non-KET patents that stem from a comparable context. Subsequently, it is analyzed whether KET patents are associated with higher forward citation frequencies than non-KETs. The results show that KETs receive more citations on average, but it appears that this effect is driven by a few very impactful patents. The results further show that not all KETs exert a measurable impact on forward citations and highlight the heterogeneities between the individual KETs. These findings call for a more critical assessment of the KET concept and for nuanced approaches in research and policy.