ABSTRACT Studies on innovation and welfare are seemingly unrelated and, currently, scholars of innovation and welfare form distinctive groups. However, recent developments in the fields of business and psychology suggest that a social safety net and the positive mental assets that can be developed by implementing carefully designed welfare programs may stimulate innovative activities within a country. Further, they are closely connected due to their contribution to economic growth, which forms the central tenet of the discourses on both innovation and welfare. In this context, this study uses the patent applications filed under the Patent Co-operation Treaty and social spending data of 35 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries for the period 2000–2015 to investigate the effect of welfare on innovation. Contrary to the widespread belief that welfare spending can undermine innovative potential, we argue that welfare can harness a country’s innovative potential and contribute to the country’s long-term growth.

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创新与福利：一对不可能的夫妻的婚姻

摘要关于创新和福利的研究似乎无关紧要，目前，创新和福利的学者组成了独特的群体。但是，商业和心理学领域的最新发展表明，通过实施精心设计的福利计划可以发展的社会安全网和积极的精神资产，可能会刺激一个国家的创新活动。此外，由于它们对经济增长的贡献，它们是紧密相连的，这构成了关于创新和福利的论述的中心宗旨。在这种情况下，本研究使用了根据《专利合作条约》提交的专利申请和35个经济合作与发展组织国家在2000-2015年期间的社会支出数据，来研究福利对创新的影响。