Wessendorf, ColinColinWessendorfFornahl, Dirk2024-12-192024-12-192024-12-192629-3994https://media.suub.uni-bremen.de/handle/elib/854010.26092/elib/3553Key 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.enCC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Key Enabling TechnologiesGeneral Purpose TechnologiesRecombinant NoveltyTechnological impactPatent citationsPropensity Score Matching330Artikel/Aufsatzurn:nbn:de:gbv:46-elib85402