Graduate Research Papers
Availability
Open Access Graduate Research Paper
Abstract
This Graduate Research Project examines whether economic espionage incidents within the United States exhibit structured geographic patterns aligned with innovation ecosystem density. Using a verified dataset of 135 publicly documented economic espionage and foreign-linked trade secret theft cases between 2000 and 2025, this study applies Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analysis to evaluate spatial concentration, sectoral prioritization, and foreign nexus distribution.
Kernel Density Estimation and state-level aggregation reveal disproportionate clustering within innovation-dense regions, including California, New York, and major Midwestern industrial corridors. Aerospace and defense technologies, energy technologies, and semiconductors and microelectronics collectively account for 55.6 percent of all documented cases.
Findings strongly support the proposition that economic espionage follows the geography of innovation concentration. The results demonstrate that regions generating technological advantage simultaneously experience concentrated exposure. This study contributes to economic geography scholarship by integrating spatial risk analysis with applied counterintelligence principles and offers policy-relevant insights for research security governance and place-based counterintelligence prioritization.
Year of Submission
2026
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Department of Geography
First Advisor
Lisa Tabor
Date Original
2026
Object Description
1 PDF file (58 pages)
Copyright
©2026 David A. Tabor
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Turner, David A., "Mapping the Geography of Economic Espionage in the United States (2000–2025): An Applied Counterintelligence and Spatial Analysis" (2026). Graduate Research Papers. 4692.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/grp/4692
