The role of large multinationals in the Dutch technology infrastructure : a patent citation analysis

This paper investigates the impact of large multinational firms on the Dutch technology infrastructure. More specifically, it asks how the structure of the knowledge flows network matters for diffusion of technological knowledge in the Dutch economy. Patent citation analysis based on European Patent applications is used to quantify this network. The paper finds that there are large differences between firms in terms of the density of their 'ego-network', and the amount of knowledge spillovers to the Dutch economy that they generate.