When does technology create real productivity?
Cloud computing, analytics, and AI deliver value through organizational fit, complementary talent, and managerial capability.
Economics of digital transformation
My research examines productivity, organizations, labor markets, and competition.
Research agenda
My work follows technology from adoption to impact—inside the firm, across the workforce, and through the wider economy.
Cloud computing, analytics, and AI deliver value through organizational fit, complementary talent, and managerial capability.
Evidence on remote work, high-skill immigration, hiring, and the changing composition of technical talent.
Research on firm growth, industrial concentration, executive compensation, and competitive advantage.
Selected work
Peer-reviewed publications and current projects spanning information systems, economics, and strategy.
Figures report estimates and sample facts from the linked papers.
With Sarah H. Bana, Erik Brynjolfsson, Sebastian Steffen, and Xiupeng Wang
Published paper ↗A breach triggers measurable investment in cybersecurity, public-relations, and legal talent. Resilience is an organizational-capability problem, not only a tooling decision.
With Kristina McElheran
Published paper ↗Young businesses can use scalable IT services to gain operating capability before achieving scale, with the strongest benefits among small young plants.
With John (Jianqiu) Bai and Sifan Zhou
Published paper ↗Lower travel frictions strengthen cross-firm knowledge flows, consistent with face-to-face interaction and inventor mobility carrying tacit knowledge.
Finding and data visuals come from the linked public versions. Unreleased work is marked clearly.
Key findingThe post-2017 gap equals approximately $7,300 more per year based on 2016 wages, measured relative to demographically similar American peers.
Key findingThe productivity effect grows over time, consistent with organizational learning and complementary investment after adoption.
Key findingFirms with greater pre-pandemic WFH feasibility achieved higher sales, net income, and stock returns during the pandemic, especially outside high-tech sectors.
Key findingChina’s PIPL reduced revenue, productivity, profitability, and expansion most for firms previously intensive in data talent; stronger analytics capabilities mitigated the loss.
Key findingAfter a salient female-founder scandal, female-led projects received 21.3% less funding, 12.3% fewer backers, and 9.1% lower average contributions.
Key findingTechnical background, R&D experience, and long-term orientation predict digital strategy and talent, with distinct leadership patterns in private and state-owned firms.
Related insightCheaply replicable digital capital can increase the value of scarce organizational architects whose complementary judgment cannot be copied.
Key findingIT is associated with faster sales than employment growth—“scale without mass”—and larger firms gain most from replicating efficient routines across establishments.
Key findingLabor-demand measures from 2010–2022 track productivity better than physical IT capital and are also positively associated with patents, citations, and patent value.
Key findingThe one-year-lag estimate equals approximately RMB 530 million per firm. Applied AI outperforms foundational AI, and returns are stronger with CTO/CIO leadership and policy complements.
Key findingCredit access, IT adoption, and structured management raise plant capacity utilization; labor shortages reduce it, with substantial heterogeneity across plants.
Key findingCloud and ML adopters reduce layers and unique roles, while raising mean wages; performance gains appear only when adoption is paired with organizational flattening.
Key findingAfter major export-control shocks, weekly forks rose by approximately 0.14 per China-associated repository versus 0.01 for U.S.-associated repositories—about 12× as much.
Research focusWhether flexible cloud resources fit uncertain, exploratory settings differently from owned IT optimized for stable execution.
Key findingERP adoption by a focal firm or key customer improves receivables collection and inventory turnover; market-share gains accrue to non-early adopters.
Key findingMedicaid expansion is associated with lower plant employment and capital investment, especially machinery and computer spending, alongside slower shipments and productivity.
Research focusHow predictive and generative AI waves differ in their adoption paths and restructuring of work.
Research focusHow more granular data changes performance-pay design, target setting, and promotion rules.
Research focusWhether management practices reveal—or shape—organizational decline before bankruptcy.
Research focusWhen IT and management practices allow output growth with lower environmental costs.
U.S. Census research
Research conducted through the Federal Statistical Research Data Center program using confidential microdata.
About
Associate Professor of Management Science at Chapman University and Digital Fellow at the Stanford Digital Economy Lab.
Associate Professor of Management Science
Research Scientist, Stanford Digital Economy Lab
Associate Director, Federal Statistical Research Data Center
Research Scientist
Postdoctoral Associate
Ph.D. in Economics
For research conversations, seminars, and collaboration.