The Case Against Patents
By Professor David Levine
from the European University Institute
April 1, 2015
Are patents essential for thriving innovation and prosperity? Professor David Levine challenges the common view that intellectual property is beneficial to society. Based on his research with coauthor Michele Boldrin, Professor Levine contends that there is no convincing evidence that patents serve to increase innovation and productivity. He argues that more patents can in fact inhibit innovation and may be damaging to both economic prosperity and the public good.
About the 2015 distinguished lecturer
David K. Levine has made fundamental contributions to several subfields of economic theory, including those that border economics and psychology and economics and political science. His contributions cover the spectrum - from providing a better understanding of the formation of preferences, to the strategic behavior of individuals and groups, to the dynamic behavior of markets for goods and assets. His books include Is Behavioral Economics Doomed? and Against Intellectual Monopoly, co-authored with Michele Boldrin.
Professor Levine is currently Joint Chair for the Department of Economics and Robert Schuman Center for Advanced Study at the European University Institute. He is on leave as John H. Biggs Distinguished Professor of Economics at Washington University in St. Louis. Having served as President of the Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory and of the Society for Economic Dynamics, he is a fellow of the Econometric Society, an Economic Theory Fellow, a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research, and of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.