Seminar (winter term 2021/22): Structural change and the economics of digital technologies

Digital technologies have transformed every aspect of economics and society. Computers are everywhere, payment has gone largely digital and contactless, and since the start of the pandemic in 2020, even work happens largely remotely in many sectors. While all this has captured the minds of science fiction writers for many decades, the economic reality is somewhat less glamorous. The technological advances and new possibilities are contrasted by the sobering crash of the new economy bubble in 2001, by fears that artificial intelligence might replace human labor, technological lock-ins, the market power of big tech firms, and interference in democratic elections. The seminar will address economic aspects of the emergence of digital technologies and selected aspects of their impact on society and the economy. Established models will be covered, but the seminar will also discuss recent advances in research, current research questions, and implications for economics, society, and business.