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How emigration shapes the diffusion of new technologies


The diffusion of new technologies across countries is a key driver of productivity growth and economic progress. Yet surprisingly, little is known about how technology moves across borders. Our research provides new evidence on the importance of one such channel: out-migration. We show that migration can help transfer knowledge and innovation from migrants' destination countries back to their countries of origin - a phenomenon we define as return innovation.


Davide M. Coluccia and Gaia Dossi

26 April 2025


LSE USA PP


https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2025/04/26/how-emigration-shapes-the-diffusion-of-new-technologies/

This work is published under POID and the CEP's Growth programme.