Rio de Janeiro's insertion in the offshore oil knowledge network

Abstract

In a context of global production networks, cities are the loci of the knowledge generation process. They bring together various actors and assets necessary for this sophisticated activity. The generation of knowledge involves the interaction between actors within the same city, such as companies, universities, and research centers, and also between actors from different cities, forming a network. However, not all cities can participate in this network, and the literature has mostly focused on networks formed by cities in the Global North and in high-tech industries. This article aims to map and investigate the knowledge network in the offshore oil industry, showing whether cities in oil-rich countries in the Global South are part of this network. The analysis is carried out at the city level, highlighting the cities that appear as important places for generation of knowledge. To meet our goal, we created a patent database using patents granted by the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) between 2007 and 2017, designed a network based on the inventors’ location, and performed the k-core analysis. We found that Rio de Janeiro is the only city in a Global South, resource-rich country that appears in the most central layers of the network. Rio de Janeiro’s insertion is based on two groups of actors that play different roles and are highly influenced by the local National Oil Company, Petrobras.

Keywords:
Knowledge network; Offshore oil; Patents