Entrepreneurship is an important driver of economic growth, and the regional disparities in entrepreneurship and innovation are vast. Startups in many technology-intensive industries, particularly those backed by venture investors, are responsible for a disproportionate share of economic activity. Entrepreneurship and innovation are key contributors to the growth of income and wealth at an aggregate level for regions and nations, but also at the household level.
To promote research on place-based policies that affect entrepreneurship, and on the entrepreneurial ecosystem more general, the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), with the generous support of the California Community and Alfred P. Sloan Foundations, will convene a research conference on December 6, 2024 in Cambridge, MA. The program will be organized by NBER Research Associates Sabrina Howell of New York University, Josh Lerner of Harvard Business School, and David Robinson of Duke University.
The organizers encourage submissions on a wide range of topics including, but not limited to:
- Why are some regions in the US engines of innovation and new business formation while others lag behind?
- How do regional disparities in business formation and innovation affect the distribution of wealth and income, especially for historically underrepresented groups?
- What policy tools can be leveraged to address regional disparities in business formation and innovation?
- How are breakthrough ideas and innovations related to place?
- What might explain the apparent recent slowdown in business dynamism in developed economies?
- What explains the rise of more recent global innovation hubs, such as those in India and China?
The organizers welcome submissions of both empirical and theoretical research papers and encourage submissions from all scholars, including those who are not affiliated with the NBER.
To be considered for inclusion on the program, upload papers by 11:59 pm EDT on Thursday, October 3, 2024.
Please do not submit papers that have been accepted for publication or that will be published before the conference. Authors chosen to present papers will be notified in mid-October, 2024. All presenters are expected to attend the meeting in person. The NBER will cover the travel and lodging cost of up to two presenters per paper. Questions about this conference may be addressed to rshannon@nber.org.