Knowledge economy expert Luis Garicano joins IE Business School

Garicano is currently a professorof economics and strategy at London School of Economics.  In addition, he is responsible for the area of economy and employment within Spanish political party Ciudadanos.

Garicano’s research is focused on the impact of management practices and technology on aggregate economic variables like wage inequality, levels of productivity and economic growth. His current lines of research also include the economic crisis of the Eurozone.  The European Central Bank and the European Commission are currently considering his proposed solutions for the design of the Eurozone, including the issue of European Safe Bonds.

IE Business School’s Center for the Digital Economy will study two interrelated aspects of the future, weightless economy. First: the future of work: how do we transition to a world where routine tasks, both manual and intellectual completely disappear? What tools should our societies use to deal with growing inequality and increasing economic uncertainty? Second: the future of business. What are the new business models and platforms that companies should adopt to succeed in the digital economy? To explore these questions, the Center will fund and organize research in the fields of economics, business, sociology and the law, courses for the IE Business School students, and lectures and other outputs to spread the research to a general audience.

“Having spent 25 years working outside Spain, I am very much looking forward to forming part of this exciting project at IE Business School, back in my home country,” said Luis Garicano, about the prospect of continuing his academic career at IE Business School.

“Luis Garicano enjoys world renown for his research into fields that include the impact of technology on world economic development and the future of employment in the face of robotization. Here at IE Business School we are delighted to have Luis Garicano form part of our faculty of experts. His work will, without doubt, help strengthen our position as a benchmark for the generation and dissemination of knowledge,” said Martin Boehm, Dean of IE Business School.

Luis Garicano holds bachelor’s degrees in economics and law from Universidad de Valladolid, a master’s degree in European economic studies from the College of Europe in Bruges, and a master’s degree in economics and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago. Garicano has built his academic career in the University of Chicago and the London School of Economics where he has been a full (tenured) profesor, as well as MIT and the London Business School. He has also worked as economist for the European Commission and in McKinsey & Company.

Last December Luis Garicano was elected Vice President of ALDE (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe), and he currently heads the area of economy and employment for Spain’s Ciudadanos party.  He has authored books that include “El dilema de España” and “Recuperar el futuro” (with Toni Roldán). He has contributed as a columnist to international and Spanish media that include Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, El País and El Mundo. His research work has been published in the world leading journals of economics, including The Quarterly Journal of Economics, The Journal of Political Economy, The American Economic Review and The Review of Economic Studies.