Timothy DeStefano
Economist | Harvard Business School | LISH
Timothy DeStefano is an Economist-Research Scientist at the Harvard Business School in the Laboratory for Innovation Science at Harvard (LISH). He is an applied economist with expertise in the areas of digital technology, artificial intelligence (AI), industrial robotics, firm productivity and trade. His current work at the lab focuses on constructing empirical frameworks and field experiments to estimate the causal effects of AI on firm performance. Previously, Tim carried out a number of research projects that examine how fiber broadband and cloud computing impact firm productivity, organization and employment. He also has extensive experience assessing various types of policy interventions on a range of economic outcomes at the region, firm and individual levels.
Before joining LISH, Tim worked as an economist for 5 years at the OECD and for 1 year at the G20 Global Forum on Steel Excess Capacity. Tim’s work has been presented at a number of academic events including the NBER meetings (on the Economics of Digitization and Productivity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship), the Royal Economics Society, and the Toulouse School of Economics and to policy makers in the G20, the OECD, the Italian Parliament, the Ministry of Finance France, Ministry of Economics Trade and Industry Japan and the Vatican. Tim holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Nottingham (UK).
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Academic papers accepted or under review at peer reviewed journals
DeStefano, T., Kneller, R., and J. Timmis. (2018), Broadband infrastructure, ICT use and firm performance: Evidence for UK firms, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Vol 155, pp. 110-139.
DeStefano, T., Kneller, R., and J. Timmis. (2019), The (fuzzy) digital divide: the effect of universal broadband on firm performance, under revise and resubmit, Journal of Economic Geography.
DeStefano, T., Kneller, R., and J. Timmis. (2020), Cloud computing and firm growth, under revise and resubmit, Review of Economics and Statistics.
Featured in VOX- 6th May 2020- "Cloud computing and firm growth."
Academic working papers
DeStefano, T., Johnstone, N., Kneller, R., and J. Timmis. (2020). Capital incentives and the age of intangibles? GEP Discussion paper 2020/06.
DeStefano, T., Kneller, R., and J. Timmis. (2020). ICT and capital saving technical change, GEP Discussion paper, 2020/03.
DeStefano, T., and J. Timmis. (2018), Industrial robotics and the quality of trade, Discussion paper, 05/18.
Work in Progress
“Buyer-Supplier Reorganization and Firm Productivity” with Keiko Ito , Richard Kneller and Jonathan Timmis
“Cloud Technology and worker reorganization” with Richard Kneller and Jonathan Timmis
Policy Research
Andres, R., DeStefano, T., Niebel, T., and S. Viete. (2020), Capital incentive policies in the age of cloud computing: An empirical case study, OECD Science, Technology and Industry Working Papers, No. 2020/07, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/4bedeb36-en.
DeStefano, T., Silva, F., Haneda, S., and H. Kwon. (2020), Structural adjustment and changes to employment use in Japan, OECD Science, Technology and Industry Working Papers, No. 2020/08, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/f58e9301-en.
De Backer, K., DeStefano, T., and C. Menon. (2018), Industrial robotics and the global organization of production, OECD STI Working Paper, No. 2018/03.
DeStefano, T., Manaresi, F., Menon, C., Santoleri, P., and G. Soggia. (2018), "The evaluation of the Italian “Start-up Act”", OECD Science, Technology and Industry Policy Papers, No. 54, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/02ab0eb7-en.
Calvino, F., DeStefano, T., and J. Timmis (2017), Digitalization, SMEs, start-ups and dynamism. In OECD (Eds.), Key issues for digital transformation in the G20, Report prepared for a joint G20 German Presidency (pp.115-124). Berlin, Germany.
Seminar, Conferences and Workshops
2020
NBER Summer Institute: Economics of IT and Digitization Workshop
Chuo University
2019
Harvard Business School-OECD Joint Workshop: Business and Policy Perspectives on Digital
Sogang University
Korea University
Korean Institute for Industry Economics and Trade
NBER Summer Institute: Economics of IT and Digitization Workshop
ZEW Conference on the Economics of Information and Communication Technologies
NBER Economics of Digitization Stanford University Meeting
NBER Productivity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship Cambridge Meeting
MIT: Internet Policy and Research Initiative
American University
Vatican Pontifical Academies
2018
Italian Parliament
French Ministry of Finance
European Trade Study Group
National Institute of Science and Technology Policy Japan
Foundation France-Japan de l’EHESS
OECD Applied Economics Seminar
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Japan
2017
Toulouse School of Economics Workshop on Digitalization
International Federation of Robotics
Nihon University Globalization Workshop
OECD Applied Economics Seminar
Ministry of Economic Development Italy
2016
NBER Summer Institute: Economics of IT and Digitization Workshop
National Graduate University for Policy Studies
Paris TelecomTech
Gakushuin University
2015
Royal Economic Society Conference
ZEW Conference on the Economics of Information Communication Technology
OECD Applied Economics Seminar
2013-2014
Nottingham School of Economics GEP Conference
OECD Applied Economics Seminar
Globalization and Economic Policy Workshop
Ingenio PhD Digital Conference
XVII Applied Economics Meeting
University of Nottingham Ningbo Seminar