Research
Publications
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)
Final working paper version | Online appendix
Press: New York Times, Inc.com, LiveMint, FinWeek, VoxEU, HBS Working Knowledge
Collusive Investments in Technological Compatibility: Lessons from U.S. Railroads in the Late 19th Century
forthcoming at Management Science
Abstract (click to expand)
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)
Performance Feedback in Competitive Product Development
RAND Journal of Economics, 48(2), 438-466. 2017.
Abstract (click to expand)
Working papers
Automation and the Plight of Young Workers: Evidence from the Automation of Telephone Operation in the Early 20th Century (with James Feigenbaum, Boston University) draft available upon request
Abstract (click to expand)
Why Do Firms Automate Production, and How Do They Adjust? Evidence from the Bell Telephone System in the Early 20th Century (with James Feigenbaum, Boston University) draft available upon request
Abstract (click to expand)
Organizing Crisis Innovation: Lessons from World War II (with Bhaven Sampat, Columbia University)
Abstract (click to expand)
Link to draft (updated 10/8/2020)
Press: AEIdeas
Inventing the Endless Frontier: The Effects of the World War II Research Effort on Post-war Innovation (with Bhaven Sampat, Columbia University)
NBER working paper 27375, HBS working paper 20-126
Abstract (click to expand)
Link to draft (updated 6/2/2020)
Press: NBER Digest (Sep 2020), Axios, AEIdeas
The Consequences of Invention Secrecy: Evidence from the USPTO Patent Secrecy Program in WW2
NBER working paper 25545, HBS working paper 19-090
revise & resubmit
Abstract (click to expand)
Link to draft (updated 11/28/2019)
Projects in progress
Medical Innovation in a National Crisis (with Bhaven Sampat, Columbia University)
The Long-Run Impacts of Crisis Medical Research on the Life Sciences: Evidence from the World War II Committee on Medical Research (with Bhaven Sampat, Columbia University)
Centralizing Science: Experience at World War II Research Labs and Scientists' Post-war Careers and Collaboration Patterns (with Bhaven Sampat, Columbia University and Innessa Colaiacovo, HBS)
Crisis and U.S. Entrepreneurship in the 20th Century (with Jorge Guzman, Columbia Business School and Innessa Colaiacovo, HBS)
Scientific Labor Mobility and Regional Advantage: Lessons from the U.S. in the Postwar Era
The Effects of Foreign Intellectual Property Theft on U.S. Innovation
Please contact me for a synopsis of projects in progress.