Employment Nondiscrimination Acts and Corporate Innovation

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Gao, Huasheng; Zhang, Wei
• 署名单位: Nanyang Technological University; Shanghai University of Finance & Economics
• 刊物名称: MANAGEMENT SCIENCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0025-1909
• DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.2016.2457
• 发表日期: 2017
• 页码: 2982-2999
• 关键词: innovation; patents; employment nondiscrimination acts; ENDAs; SEXUAL ORIENTATION

摘要

We show that U.S. state-level employment nondiscrimination acts (ENDAs)-laws that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity-spur innovation. We find a significant increase in patents and patent citations for firms head-quartered in states that have passed ENDAs relative to firms head-quartered in states that have not. This result is more pronounced for firms that previously have not implemented pro-gay nondiscrimination policies, for firms in states with a large homosexual population, and for firms in human capital-intensive industries. Lastly, we provide evidence suggesting that ENDAs affect innovation by matching employees, who are generally more creative than anti-gay employees, with innovative firms.