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Speaker: Giovanni Pisauro, Radhika Ramakrishnan, Avner Kreps

Avner Kreps will present "Firm Productivity and Learning by Doing in Computing". 
Abstract: Computing has become a critical input to production in the modern firm. Despite this, there is little large-scale evidence of how efficiently firms use computing, as the productivity literature has mostly focused on traditional inputs. In this paper, we study dispersion in cross- and within-firm computing productivity and the impact of firm learning on this dispersion. Our analysis leverages detailed CPU utilization data from over 1 billion virtual machines used by tens of thousands of firms. We find that there is large and persistent heterogeneity in computing productivity both across and within firms, similar to studies of other measures of firm productivity. However, this productivity is dynamic as firms learn to be more productive over time. The median new firm starts as productive as the 13th percentile experienced firm, but approaches the productivity level of the median experienced firm after four years. Our preliminary results suggest that learning plays an important role in explaining high levels of productivity dispersion.

Giovanni Pisauro will present "The Determinants and Consequences of Telehealth”.

Radhika Ramakrishnan will present "The Second Specialist: How Does Vertical Integration Affect Specialist Switching" (joint with Xingyue Xin). 

Abstract:  Vertical integration is particularly pervasive in healthcare markets.  In this work, we study vertical integration between generalist (primary care) and specialist physicians and establish a relationship between the vertical integration status of a primary care provider and the likelihood that patients switch specialist providers.  The ease with which a patient can switch specialist providers may be related to the health outcomes they experience in the future.  We propose ways to examine this as well as ways to examine underlying mechanisms for our results on vertical integration and switching.