Publications
Crisis Innovation and National Competitiveness
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For a summary of my work on this theme, please see this NBER Reporter article.
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For a recent reflection on AI innovation and military strategy, see this comment, forthcoming in the NBER Economics of Artificial Intelligence annual conference volume.
12. The Government Patent Register: A New Resource for Measuring U.S. Government-Funded Patenting
Research Policy, 54(1), 105142. 2025.
(with Bhaven Sampat)
Abstract (click to expand)
Data on U.S. gov't funded patents available here
11. America, Jump-started: World War II R&D and the Takeoff of the U.S. Innovation System
American Economic Review, 113(12), 3323-3356. 2023.
(with Bhaven Sampat)
Abstract (click to expand)
Media: New York Times, Axios, Brookings Institution (1, 2), American Enterprise Institute, Mises Institute, Project Syndicate, AEA Research Highlights , NBER Digest
Cited in the 2023 Economic Report of the President
Sidebar in the 2024 Economic Report of the President
Data on OSRD contracts and patents available here
10. The World War II Crisis Innovation Model: What Was It, and Where Does It Apply?
(with Bhaven Sampat)
Research Policy, 52(9), 104845. 2023.
Abstract (click to expand)
Media: AAAS, American Enterprise Institute, New Things Under the Sun, LSE Impact Blog
Cited in the 2024 Economic Report of the President
9. The Hidden Costs of Securing Innovation: The Manifold Impacts of Compulsory Invention Secrecy
Management Science, 69(4), 2318-2338. 2023.
Abstract (click to expand)
Media: NBER Digest, HBS Working Knowledge, VoxEU, New Things Under the Sun
Data on World War II secrecy orders available here
8. Crisis Innovation Policy from World War II to COVID-19
(with Bhaven Sampat)
NBER Entrepreneurship and Innovation Policy and the Economy, 135-181. 2022.
Abstract (click to expand)
Media: The Atlantic, NPR, Fuqua Insights, ResOrg
7. The Economics of Crisis Innovation Policy: A Historical Perspective
(with Bhaven Sampat)
AEA Papers & Proceedings, 111, 346-350. 2021.
Abstract (click to expand)
Automation and Technology Diffusion
6. Answering the Call of Automation: How the Labor Market Adjusted to the Mechanization of Telephone Operation
(with James Feigenbaum)
Quarterly Journal of Economics, 139(3), 1879-1939. 2024.
Abstract (click to expand)
Media: Vox, NPR Marketplace, NPR Planet Money podcast, Freakonomics podcast, Tech Republic, Brookings Institution, American Enterprise Institute (1, 2, 3, 4), Cato Institute, Washington Center for Equitable Growth, UN International Labour Organization, World Economic Forum, Working Nation, Broadstreet, Visible Hand podcast
(with James Feigenbaum) **Strategy Science conference Best Paper award
Management Science, 70(12), 8520-8540. 2024.
Abstract (click to expand)
4. Collusive Investments in Technological Compatibility: Lessons from U.S. Railroads in the Late 19th Century
Management Science, 66(12), 5683-5700. 2020.
Abstract (click to expand)
Media: Cato Institute
3. Scale versus Scope in the Diffusion of New Technology: Evidence from the Farm Tractor
RAND Journal of Economics, 49(2), 427-452. 2018.
Abstract (click to expand)
Media: The Economist, American Enterprise Institute (1, 2)
Managing Creative Workers
2. Creativity Under Fire: The Effects of Competition on Creative Production
The Review of Economics and Statistics, 102(3), 583-599. 2020.
Abstract (click to expand)
Media: New York Times, Harvard Business Review (Vol. 98, Issue 3, pp. 24-26), Harvard Business Review France, Inc.com, LiveMint, FinWeek, Freelancer, VoxEU, HBS Working Knowledge, Freakonomics podcast
1. Performance Feedback in Competitive Product Development
RAND Journal of Economics, 48(2), 438-466. 2017.
Abstract (click to expand)