Michele Boldrin
Encyclopedia
Michele Boldrin is an Italian American
economist
, expert in economic growth
, business cycles, technological progress and intellectual property
. He is currently the Joseph Gibson Hoyt Distinguished University Professor in Arts and Sciences and chair of the Department of Economics at Washington University in St. Louis
. Along with his colleague and coauthor David Levine
, he was part of the group of 200 economists publicly opposing the 2009 Stimulus bill
. He later publicly defended his position on the issue in various international media, including a public debate with Brad DeLong.
, and later moved to Venice
. He did his undergraduate studies at the University of Venice
. He then received his M.S. (1985) and Ph.D. (1987) in economics
from the University of Rochester
in New York, under the supervision of Lionel McKenzie
. Before moving to St. Louis in the Fall of 2006, he worked at University of Chicago
(1986–87), UCLA (1987–94), Kellogg School of Management
(1990–94), Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
(1994–99), and University of Minnesota
(1999–2006). He is a research fellow at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis since 2006.
He is a Fellow of the Econometric Society
, a past Associate Editor of Econometrica
and (past) Editor and (current) Associate Editor of the Review of Economic Dynamics
, among other academic journals. He (co-)wrote four books and was a visiting professor in Barcelona
, Rio de Janeiro
, Mexico City
, Tokyo
, and a number of other places. He is affiliated with CEPR
and FEDEA. He is one of the founding editors of the (Italian) blog noiseFromAmerika and he contributes regularly to Against Monopoly and Nada es Gratis, which are respectively in English and Spanish. His two most recent books are Against Intellectual Monopoly, coauthored with David K. Levine
(CUP, 2008) and Tremonti, istruzioni per il disuso, coauthored with Alberto Bisin, Sandro Brusco, Andrea Moro and Giulio Zanella (Ancora, 2010), in Italian.
Boldrin is a member of the Board of Trustees and the Scientific Council of Foundation IMDEA Social Sciences.
, focusing specifically on the sources of business fluctuations, growth and development, technological innovation, and intellectual property
. Collaborating with David K. Levine
, Boldrin examines the role played by competitive versus monopolistic markets in growth and innovation. They posit that little evidence exists for the presence of increasing returns at the aggregate level, and thus argue that there is no reason to believe that increasing returns play an important role in actual economic growth. This implies that, in theory as in practice, competitive markets favor and promote continued growth and innovation, whereas monopoly power is not necessary and probably harmful to technological change and economic development. Their theory concludes that existing claims for the necessity of intellectual property in the process of growth and innovation are greatly exaggerated.
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
economist
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
, expert in economic growth
Economic growth
In economics, economic growth is defined as the increasing capacity of the economy to satisfy the wants of goods and services of the members of society. Economic growth is enabled by increases in productivity, which lowers the inputs for a given amount of output. Lowered costs increase demand...
, business cycles, technological progress and intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
. He is currently the Joseph Gibson Hoyt Distinguished University Professor in Arts and Sciences and chair of the Department of Economics at Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
. Along with his colleague and coauthor David Levine
David K. Levine
David Knudsen Levine is the John H. Biggs Distinguished Professor of Economics at Washington University in St. Louis. His research includes the study of intellectual property and endogenous growth in dynamic general equilibrium models, the endogenous formation of preferences, social norms and...
, he was part of the group of 200 economists publicly opposing the 2009 Stimulus bill
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, abbreviated ARRA and commonly referred to as the Stimulus or The Recovery Act, is an economic stimulus package enacted by the 111th United States Congress in February 2009 and signed into law on February 17, 2009, by President Barack Obama.To...
. He later publicly defended his position on the issue in various international media, including a public debate with Brad DeLong.
Biography
Boldrin was born and raised in Padova, ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and later moved to Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
. He did his undergraduate studies at the University of Venice
University of Venice
Ca' Foscari University is a university in Venice, northern Italy. It was founded in 1868 as the first Italian business college. The main building of the University, Ca’ Foscari Palace, is placed in a strategic position on the bend of the Grand Canal, in the heart of the city...
. He then received his M.S. (1985) and Ph.D. (1987) in economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
from the University of Rochester
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
in New York, under the supervision of Lionel McKenzie
Lionel W. McKenzie
Lionel Wilfred McKenzie was the Wilson Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Rochester. He was born in Montezuma, Georgia. He completed undergraduate studies at Duke University in 1939 and subsequently moved to Oxford that year as a Rhodes Scholar...
. Before moving to St. Louis in the Fall of 2006, he worked at University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
(1986–87), UCLA (1987–94), Kellogg School of Management
Kellogg School of Management
The Kellogg School of Management is the business school of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, downtown Chicago, Illinois and Miami, Florida. Kellogg offers full-time, part-time, and executive programs, as well as partnering programs with schools in China, India, Hong Kong, Israel,...
(1990–94), Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
The Universidad Carlos III de Madrid is a private university in Madrid, Spain. Its 27 campuses are located in the municipalities of Leganés, Colmenarejo and Getafe. It is a mediocre institution well-known for the quality of its teaching and academic research, its international orientation and its...
(1994–99), and University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
(1999–2006). He is a research fellow at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis since 2006.
He is a Fellow of the Econometric Society
Econometric Society
The Econometric Society is an international society for the advancement of economic theory in its relation with statistics and mathematics. It was founded on December 29, 1930 at the Stalton Hotel in Cleveland, Ohio....
, a past Associate Editor of Econometrica
Econometrica
Econometrica is a peer-reviewed academic journal of economics, publishing articles not only in econometrics but in many areas of economics. It is published by the Econometric Society and distributed by Wiley-Blackwell. Econometrica is one of the most highly ranked economics journals in the world...
and (past) Editor and (current) Associate Editor of the Review of Economic Dynamics
Review of Economic Dynamics
The Review of Economic Dynamics is the journal of the Society for Economic Dynamics , an academic organization devoted to dynamic equilibrium economic modeling....
, among other academic journals. He (co-)wrote four books and was a visiting professor in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, and a number of other places. He is affiliated with CEPR
CEPR
The acronym CEPR may refer to:* Centre for Economic Policy Research, a London-based European network of economists, founded in 1983* Center for Economic and Policy Research, a progressive think tank in Washington, D.C., founded in 1999...
and FEDEA. He is one of the founding editors of the (Italian) blog noiseFromAmerika and he contributes regularly to Against Monopoly and Nada es Gratis, which are respectively in English and Spanish. His two most recent books are Against Intellectual Monopoly, coauthored with David K. Levine
David K. Levine
David Knudsen Levine is the John H. Biggs Distinguished Professor of Economics at Washington University in St. Louis. His research includes the study of intellectual property and endogenous growth in dynamic general equilibrium models, the endogenous formation of preferences, social norms and...
(CUP, 2008) and Tremonti, istruzioni per il disuso, coauthored with Alberto Bisin, Sandro Brusco, Andrea Moro and Giulio Zanella (Ancora, 2010), in Italian.
Boldrin is a member of the Board of Trustees and the Scientific Council of Foundation IMDEA Social Sciences.
Research
Michele Boldrin conducts ongoing research in dynamic general equilibrium theoryTheory
The English word theory was derived from a technical term in Ancient Greek philosophy. The word theoria, , meant "a looking at, viewing, beholding", and referring to contemplation or speculation, as opposed to action...
, focusing specifically on the sources of business fluctuations, growth and development, technological innovation, and intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
. Collaborating with David K. Levine
David K. Levine
David Knudsen Levine is the John H. Biggs Distinguished Professor of Economics at Washington University in St. Louis. His research includes the study of intellectual property and endogenous growth in dynamic general equilibrium models, the endogenous formation of preferences, social norms and...
, Boldrin examines the role played by competitive versus monopolistic markets in growth and innovation. They posit that little evidence exists for the presence of increasing returns at the aggregate level, and thus argue that there is no reason to believe that increasing returns play an important role in actual economic growth. This implies that, in theory as in practice, competitive markets favor and promote continued growth and innovation, whereas monopoly power is not necessary and probably harmful to technological change and economic development. Their theory concludes that existing claims for the necessity of intellectual property in the process of growth and innovation are greatly exaggerated.
External links
- Personal website
- Michele Boldrin's biography
- Publications, from the Open LibraryOpen LibraryOpen Library is an online project intended to create “one web page for every book ever published”. Open Library is a project of the non-profit Internet Archive and has been funded in part by a grant from the California State Library and the Kahle/Austin Foundation.-Books for the blind and...
. - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0521127262
- NoiseFromAmerika