How Special is the Special Relationship? Using the Impact of U.S. R&D Spillovers on UK Firms as a Test of Technology Sourcing

Using panels of UK and U.S. firms matched to patent data, the authors show that UK firms who had established a high proportion of U.S.-based inventors by 1990 benefited disproportionately from the growth of the U.S. research and development (R&D) stock over the next 10 years.