The Core/Periphery Positions in Technological Network: The Affiliation Network Analysis

This paper is to explore the interactions between the focus of R&D and technological areas, and to examine how the technological network shapes the technological position in the technological network. The social network analysis is utilized to investigate the inquiry of how R&D activities interact. The empirical data was from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The affiliation network approach was conducted to study the interaction between patents (R&D activities) and technological classifications (technological areas). From the result of analysis, we explored the differentiated positions of the core and periphery and further identified some key patents as well. Technological implications are discussed in the conclusion.