New ideas can bring about social, institutional and technological change, if they diffuse successfully. How do increased connections affect the generation and diffusion of ideas? Intuitively, a denser network should increase the number of novel ideas generated and augment their diffusion. Caterina Chiopris's paper shows that in the context of knowledge production in Germany in the 19th century, the railroad network increases the generation of ideas, but decreases their diffusion.
** Please note: Events in this series do not include a presentation. Attendees of this seminar are expected to read a paper in advance and enter into a discussion. This is an in-person event. To receive a copy of the paper, please contact Morgan Gillespie at mgillesp@mit.edu. **
