This seminar will explore how various government policies influence private sector investment in innovation and the adoption of new technologies. We will begin by discussing the central role of innovation in driving economic growth and the well-established difference between private and social returns to R&D, which often leads to underinvestment. This market failure provides a strong rationale for policy intervention. Each student will then discuss a key empirical paper and surrounding literature on a specific policy instrument and its effect on innovation investment. Policy areas covered will include taxation, R&D subsidies, competition and trade policy, environmental regulation, place-based interventions, education, and labour regulations. Participants will also engage with the empirical challenges involved in measuring innovation and technology adoption. By examining the underlying mechanisms through which each policy affects innovation outcomes, students will develop a comprehensive understanding of the drivers of innovation.

After participating in the seminar, students will be able to:

• understand and analyze a current topic
• to independently develop a research topic based on a literature search
• to conceive, plan and carry out a scientific work
• to present and defend interim results