My research agenda currently focuses on technological change and Artificial Intelligence.
WORKING PAPERS
WORKING PAPERS
balancing progress and protection: Do Citizens Want Governments to Steer Technological Adoption?, With Alexander Kuo (revise & resubmit)
The rapid progression of the fourth industrial revolution has sparked debate about its economic impacts, and prompted calls for increased government ``steering" (through regulation or taxation) of technology adoption. This study proposes that preferences for such policies are shaped by two main considerations: the need to protect certain workers from technological disruption increases support for government steering, but the association of technology with economic growth and consumer benefits reduces such support. To test theories of such preferences, we design novel survey questions about six steering policies, measure preferences in large, representative samples from five European countries, and experimentally vary the claims presented. We also measure many technological risks, including job substitution by artificial intelligence (AI). We find substantial support for government steering of technology adoption through regulation and taxation, but claims that such intervention harms consumers or growth substantively diminishes such support, while arguments about protection enhance support only modestly.
Draft available on request
Draft available on request
Support for Digitalization acceleration: Evidence from EU’s Next Generation Program, With Alexander Kuo, Silja HÄusermann, and Reto BürgissER (revise & resubmit))
How do workers perceive Generative AI? More as an opportunity or as a threat for their occupational prospects? And how do these perceptions influence their policy and political preferences? We conducted a survey experiment on around 6,000 workers in 98 occupations directly exposed to Generative AI, in Germany, Italy, and the US. Treated respondents are shown a video of ChatGPT performing the most frequent core task in their occupation. On average, they become more optimistic about the technology’s impact. Yet, a substantial share of treated respondents become more threatened. This leads to polarization of policy preferences: threatened individuals increase their support for technology regulation and redistribution policies, while optimistic individuals move the other way. The threatened also express warmer attitudes toward “backlash” political parties.
Building Global Support for AI Governance: Evidence from Six Countries, with Alexander Kuo and Shir Raviv (under review)
The rapid advancement of AI presents unprecedented challenges requiring international coordination, yet efforts to establish global governance frameworks remain fragmented. An important yet understudied factor shaping governments’ willingness to negotiate, approve, and enforce international agreements is domestic support. We examine how key institutional features of AI governance shape public support for international arrangements using new data from a large-scale survey experiment conducted in the US, China, India, Germany, the UK, and Japan. Our results indicate that citizens worldwide are willing to accept—and even prefer—inclusive, enforceable, and neutrally led regulations, suggesting that an ambitious global governance framework of AI could receive broad public support. The findings highlight governance mechanisms that generate global support and areas of cross-national disagreement that may require tailored approaches.
OTHER WORK IN PROGRESS
Defaulting to the State: Citizen Demand for Hard vs Soft AI Regulation
With Alexander Kuo and Shir Raviv
Draft available on request
Digital Skills Training and Political Integration: A Field Experiment with Public Employment Services in Catalonia
With Florencia Olivares
PAP available on request, data analysis in progress
AI and elections: Evidence from the US
With Brady Allardice and Thomas Kurer
Data collection in progress
CURRENT FUNDED RESEARCH PROJECTS
Transforming European Work and Social Protection (TRANSEUROWORKS) as PI of the Spanish team
Awarded by the European Commission, H2020 program
November 2022 - October 2026
Citizen Attitudes toward Artificial Intelligence (CATAI) as PI
Awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation
January 2023 - December 2026
Defaulting to the State: Citizen Demand for Hard vs Soft AI Regulation
With Alexander Kuo and Shir Raviv
Draft available on request
Digital Skills Training and Political Integration: A Field Experiment with Public Employment Services in Catalonia
With Florencia Olivares
PAP available on request, data analysis in progress
AI and elections: Evidence from the US
With Brady Allardice and Thomas Kurer
Data collection in progress
CURRENT FUNDED RESEARCH PROJECTS
Transforming European Work and Social Protection (TRANSEUROWORKS) as PI of the Spanish team
Awarded by the European Commission, H2020 program
November 2022 - October 2026
Citizen Attitudes toward Artificial Intelligence (CATAI) as PI
Awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation
January 2023 - December 2026
