Noyce Conference Room
Seminar
US Mountain Time
Speaker:
Jonathan Schulz
Our campus is closed to the public for this event.
Abstract: We show that innovation in U.S. counties from 1850 to 1940 was propelled by growing surname diversity. Leveraging quasi-random variation in counties' surnames---stemming from the interplay between historical fluctuations in immigration and local factors that attract immigrants---we find that surname diversity increased both the quantity and quality of patents, likely because they spurred interactions among individuals with different skills and perspectives. The results suggest that the free flow of information between diverse minds drives innovation and contributed to the emergence of the U.S. as a global innovation hub.
Speaker

SFI Host:
Katrin Schmelz