El impacto de la innovación local y la tecnología importada en el crecimiento económico de América Latina (2000-2023): Un análisis empírico basado en patentes, inversión en I+D e importaciones tecnológicas

Abstract

This study analyzes the impact of endogenous and exogenous innovation on economic growth of fourteen Latin American countries during the period 2000-2023, using data from the World Bank, World Intellectual Property Organization, and Network for Science and Technology Indicators, and applying a Seemingly Unrelated Regression model to capture the simultaneous relationship between innovation and growth. The results show that endogenous innovation, measured by R&D spending, has a positive and significant effect on GDP per capita, although it is conditioned by structural factors such as human capital and technological absorption capacity, while patent applications are not statistically relevant due to the low level and concentration of patenting in the region. Exogenous innovation, represented by technology imports, has a positive and highly significant impact, constituting the main route to productive modernization in the short term. In addition, a bidirectional relationship between innovation and growth is confirmed, in which economic development drives investment in R&D and technology acquisition, which in turn feed back into growth. In conclusion, both modalities are fundamental, although with different time horizons.