Presented by Nuriye Melisa Bilgin, University of Turin
This webinar explored how the benefits of new technology adoption spread across supply chains, boosting performance not only for firms that adopt but also for those that don’t.
Using firm-level VAT data matched with customs and employer–employee records from Turkey, the presentation will examine robot adoption and its effects on productivity, wages, employment, and future adoption decisions. Findings reveal that:
- Upstream robot adoption significantly improves downstream productivity and firm performance, with effects that extend beyond direct input–output linkages.
- Capital deepening upstream does not generate the same benefits, and can even create negative spillovers when firms share the same customer base due to rivalry.
- Knowledge spillovers are transmitted through the quality of technology and technical support, enabling diffusion of know-how.
- Adoption probability rises when suppliers and customers adopt robots – especially if they are technologically advanced – and even when competitors adopt, as “arms races” push firms to keep pace.
The results highlight the power of value chains in transmitting growth-enhancing technological progress.
Presenter bio
Nuriye Melisa Bilgin is a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Turin. Before joining Turin, she was a post-doctoral researcher at Bocconi University. She earned her PhD in Economics from Koç University in 2020, where her dissertation was awarded the Turkish Economic Association’s Doctoral Dissertation Award. Her research focuses on networks, firm dynamics, technology adoption, and international trade.
Chair: John Morrow, Queen Mary University of London
Discussant: Jakob Schneebacher, CMA