WEFI

Mirko Draca (Warwick)

Title:  “The New Wave? The Role of Human Capital and STEM Skills in Technology Adoption in the UK” Which types of human capital influence the adoption of advanced technologies? We studythe skill-biased adoption of information and communication technologies (ICT) across twowaves in the UK. Specifically, we compare the ‘new wave’ of cloud and machine learning …

Vrinda Mittal (UNC)

Title: Private Capital Markets and Inequality This paper studies the relationship between the growth in private capital markets and the rise in economic inequalities in the U.S over the last two decades. First, we document that the share of financing raised by early-stage companies from U.S.-based high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) tripled from 2004 to 2022. Second, …

Andy Li (University of Amsterdam)

Do Development Financial Institutions Create Impact through Venture Capital Investments? coauthors Aleks Andonov and Paul Smeets Discussed by: Martin Aragoneses (Insead) Abstract Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) manage assets totaling $23 trillion, yet little research has been conducted on their investment activities and impact. We document that DFIs have increasingly invested in venture capital (VC) over …

Jennifer Kao (UCLA)

“Representation in Product Development: Evidence from Insurance and Clinical Trials” (paper) coauthor Tamar Oostrom, OSU Discussed by: Tong Liu (MIT) Abstract We investigate the causes and consequences of demographic disparities in product development. In 2000, Medicare extended coverage for clinical trial costs, lowering the cost of participation for elderly enrollees. This policy shifted the rate …

Katja Kisseleva-Scherenberger (Frankfurt School of Finance & Management)

“With a Little Help from My Family: Informal Startup Financing” (paper) coauthors Brian K. Baik (Harvard Business School) and Johan Karlsen (Norwegian School of Economics) Discussed by: Tom Meling (OSU) Abstract Using a unique dataset that contains financial information of Norwegian startups and their investors, we depict the characteristics of informal financing, which are startup investments …

Apoorv Gupta (Dartmouth)

“Demographics and Technology Diffusion: Evidence from Mobile Payments” (paper) coauthors Nicolas Crouzet (Northwestern), Pulak Ghosh (India Inst. of Mgmt) and Filippo Mezzanotti (Northwestern) Discussed by: Boris Vallee (HBS) Abstract Using data on the adoption of mobile payment systems in India, we argue that the age composition of the population can impact the diffusion of new …

Daniel Karpati (ESE Rotterdam)

“Self-Employed Mothers: Child Penalties, Maternity Benefits, and Family Health” (paper) coauthors  Fabrizio Core, ESE Rotterdam. Discussed by: Elena Simintzi (UNC) Abstract We study the effects of motherhood on self-employed women’s business activity, and the moderating role of maternity benefits. Using rich administrative data from the Netherlands, we first document that childbirth reduces the business revenue …