Davide Consoli

Biography

My primary interest is the analysis of the sources and the effects of innovation. In particular, I focus on how economic, organizational and institutional processes stimulate or thwart new ways of doing things. Grounded in the multidisciplinary area of innovation studies, my research explores processes of knowledge generation and diffusion; the dynamics of scientific networks; the evolution of consumer preferences; structural change in industries and sectors; the skill content of occupations; and the reconfiguration of employment structures in industries and geographical areas. This work encompasses various empirical domains. One area of study concerns the dynamics of medical innovation, in particular: the pathways through which scientific know-how emerges; the nature of collaboration networks; the links between network structures and the generation of basic knowledge; the implications of changing organizational configurations for both basic research and for clinical practice; and the role of practical know-how in the face of persistent uncertainty about the nature of disease. I have been also interested in Knowledge Intensive Business Services (KIBS) sectors, their functional heterogeneity and the evolution of their knowledge bases. Published work in this area covers all KIBS as well as sector specific case studies such as Scientific R&D and Design. More recent work analyses how human capital is organized within industries and how its configuration differs across industries. I am interested in understanding the ways in which this heterogeneity affects productivity, innovation capacity and the evolution of industries. I am also keen to investigate the adjustments in education and training that are necessary to keep up with changing demand for skills. Empirical studies in this remit are on the US, Finland, Spain, Germany and Mexico. Another area of empirical inquiry in which I am quite active is the emergent green economy. Current work on this is on the nature of green skills, the organization of green employment, the labour market effects of environmental regulation across occupations, industries and geographical areas.

Research Interest

Science and Technology