MORTEN OLSEN holds a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University and currently teaches at the University of Copenhagen.

His main research expertise is on the economic effects of new technology, in particular its impact on income inequality.

Furthermore, he studies the drivers of top income inequality, the declining labor share in the economy and the drivers of new automation technology using a variety of tools from economics, statistics and computer science."

Published Papers :

“The Rise of the Machines : Automation, Horizontal Innovation and Income Inequality”, w. D. Hemous, 2020, Forthcoming AEJMacroeconomics“

Long-term Relationships : Static Gains and Dynamic Inefficiencies”, w. David Hemous,2018Journal of European Economic Association, Vol 16, issue 2“

Sector-Specific Human Capital and Transitional Dynamics”, w. A. Guren and D. Hemous, 2015, Journal of International Economics, Vol. 97, issue 1


Working Papers  :


"Adverse Selection as a Policy Instrument ": Unraveling Climate Change, joint with S. Cicala and David Hémous, 2019


"Automating Labor : Evidence from Firm-level Patent Data", joint with Antoine Dechezlepretre, David Hémous and Carlo Zanella, 2019, classification


"The Spill-over Effect of Income Inequality", joint with Jeffrey Hicks, Josh Gottlieb and David Hémous, 2019


"How Firms Overcome Weak International Contract Enforcement : Repeated Interaction, Collective Punishment, and Trade Finance", 2016, under review


"Why Trade as Aid", 2016


"The Intended and Unintended Consequences of Special Fabric Provisions", joint with Lawrence Edwards and Robert Lawrence, 2011


"Banks in International Trade : Incomplete International Contract Enforcement and Reputation", 2011

TECH TALK  SUPERSTAR ECONOMY

From authors and movie stars to tech companies and investment banks, the modern economy is increasingly characterized by “superstar” economics; the tendency for a few of the most successful players to capture almost everything. This trend started in the 1980s and has lately come to dominate public discourse about income inequality and the powerful role of large companies.

We will discuss a number of theories behind this trend and conclude that rapidly declining cost of communication and transportation are most likely the culprit. We will go on to discuss the wider implications of these trends and how or if policy should try to stop this trend.