factory automation. We build a novel measure of exposure to computer numerical control (CNC) based on initial variation in …

were obstacles: the manual switchboard was the fulcrum of a complex system which had developed around it, and automation … profitable for AT&T in larger markets--hence diffusion expanded as costs declined and service areas grew. We show that automation … supported AT&T's continued growth, generating a positive feedback loop between scale and automation that reinforced AT&T's high …

innovation can be systematically distorted. This paper builds a simple model of endogenous technology, which generalizes existing … comparative static results and characterizes potential distortions in the direction of innovation. I show that empirical findings … automation, health care, and energy, and correcting these distortions could have sizable welfare benefits …