Question A:
The combination of scientific progress, technological innovation, and openness to new ideas underpinned the emergence of sustained economic growth in the Industrial Revolution.
Responses
Responses weighted by each expert's confidence
Question B:
The process of creative destruction – in which innovation continually leads to the disruptive displacement of existing jobs, products, firms, and industries – has been a substantial contributor to sustained economic growth.
Responses
Responses weighted by each expert's confidence
Question A Participant Responses
| Participant | University | Vote | Confidence | Bio/Vote History |
|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() Daron Acemoglu |
MIT | Bio/Vote History | ||
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Yes, but I would also add major institutional changes and the evolving balance of political and social power as key factors.
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![]() Mark Aguiar |
Princeton | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Joseph Altonji |
Yale | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Alan Auerbach |
Berkeley | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() David Autor |
MIT | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Abhijit Banerjee |
MIT | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Dirk Bergemann |
Yale | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Marianne Bertrand |
Chicago | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Markus Brunnermeier |
Princeton | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Judith Chevalier |
Yale | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() David Cutler |
Harvard | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Darrell Duffie |
Stanford | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Aaron Edlin |
Berkeley | Bio/Vote History | ||
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Clearly true. One could quibble. Openness compared to what? Being totally closed would be a disaster and shut down progress. Being too open leads to what I have dubbed as switcher's curse. See "conservatism and switchers curse". Were we close to optimally open? Doubtful.
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![]() Barry Eichengreen |
Berkeley | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Liran Einav |
Stanford | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Ray Fair |
Yale | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Edward Glaeser |
Harvard | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Pinelopi Goldberg |
Yale | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Michael Greenstone |
University of Chicago | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Oliver Hart |
Harvard | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Caroline Hoxby |
Stanford | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Hilary Hoynes |
Berkeley | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Erik Hurst |
Chicago Booth | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Kenneth Judd |
Stanford | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Steven Kaplan |
Chicago Booth | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Anil Kashyap |
Chicago Booth | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Pete Klenow |
Stanford | Bio/Vote History | ||
![]() Jonathan Levin |
Stanford | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Eric Maskin |
Harvard | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() William Nordhaus |
Yale | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Maurice Obstfeld |
Peterson Institute for International Economics | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Parag Pathak |
MIT | Did Not Answer | Bio/Vote History | |
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![]() Larry Samuelson |
Yale | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() José Scheinkman |
Columbia University | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Richard Schmalensee |
MIT | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Fiona Scott Morton |
Yale | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Carl Shapiro |
Berkeley | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Robert Shimer |
University of Chicago | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Stefanie Stantcheva |
Harvard | Did Not Answer | Bio/Vote History | |
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![]() James Stock |
Harvard | Bio/Vote History | ||
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Along with the emergence of institutions to ensure property rights, limited liability corporations, rule by law, and the development of financial markets (the institutions of capitalism).
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![]() Nancy Stokey |
University of Chicago | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Chad Syverson |
Chicago Booth | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Richard Thaler |
Chicago Booth | Did Not Answer | Bio/Vote History | |
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![]() Christopher Udry |
Northwestern | Bio/Vote History | ||
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Joel Mokyr writes beautifully about this. His book "A Culture of Growth" is a great place to start. It's economic history intertwined with the history of ideas and of technology and a vivid discussion of the interplay between practice and knowledge.
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![]() Ivan Werning |
MIT | Bio/Vote History | ||
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Question B Participant Responses
| Participant | University | Vote | Confidence | Bio/Vote History |
|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() Daron Acemoglu |
MIT | Bio/Vote History | ||
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Yes, but this does not mean that all growth comes from job destruction or broader disruption. Nor does it imply that the amount of job destruction is optimal in a growing economy -- there can be excessive disruption and the wrong direction of technology, esp. with automation.
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![]() Mark Aguiar |
Princeton | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Joseph Altonji |
Yale | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Alan Auerbach |
Berkeley | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() David Autor |
MIT | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Abhijit Banerjee |
MIT | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Dirk Bergemann |
Yale | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Marianne Bertrand |
Chicago | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Markus Brunnermeier |
Princeton | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Judith Chevalier |
Yale | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() David Cutler |
Harvard | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Darrell Duffie |
Stanford | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Aaron Edlin |
Berkeley | Bio/Vote History | ||
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We might say that technological progress leads to growth and any openness to such progress is likely to lead to destruction of the old ways. And some adjustment costs. Creative destruction is poetic but not as profound as its adherents pretend.
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![]() Barry Eichengreen |
Berkeley | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Liran Einav |
Stanford | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Ray Fair |
Yale | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Edward Glaeser |
Harvard | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Pinelopi Goldberg |
Yale | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Michael Greenstone |
University of Chicago | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Oliver Hart |
Harvard | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Caroline Hoxby |
Stanford | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Hilary Hoynes |
Berkeley | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Erik Hurst |
Chicago Booth | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Kenneth Judd |
Stanford | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Steven Kaplan |
Chicago Booth | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Anil Kashyap |
Chicago Booth | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Pete Klenow |
Stanford | Bio/Vote History | ||
![]() Jonathan Levin |
Stanford | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Eric Maskin |
Harvard | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() William Nordhaus |
Yale | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Maurice Obstfeld |
Peterson Institute for International Economics | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Parag Pathak |
MIT | Did Not Answer | Bio/Vote History | |
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![]() Larry Samuelson |
Yale | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() José Scheinkman |
Columbia University | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Richard Schmalensee |
MIT | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Fiona Scott Morton |
Yale | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Carl Shapiro |
Berkeley | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Robert Shimer |
University of Chicago | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Stefanie Stantcheva |
Harvard | Did Not Answer | Bio/Vote History | |
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![]() James Stock |
Harvard | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Nancy Stokey |
University of Chicago | Bio/Vote History | ||
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![]() Chad Syverson |
Chicago Booth | Bio/Vote History | ||
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Oodles of empirical evidence at the micro level showing how important this process is for productivity and income growth.
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![]() Richard Thaler |
Chicago Booth | Did Not Answer | Bio/Vote History | |
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![]() Christopher Udry |
Northwestern | Bio/Vote History | ||
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... and its lack too often the source of stagnation.
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![]() Ivan Werning |
MIT | Bio/Vote History | ||
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