John Wu
Former Economic Analyst
Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
John Wu was an economic analyst at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. His research interests include green technologies, labor economics, and time use.
He graduated from the College of Wooster with a bachelor of arts in economics and sociology, with a minor in environmental studies.
Research Areas
Recent Publications
Fact of the Week: The Cost To Sequence a Human Genome Decreased More than 99.999 Percent Between 2000 and 2016
The future of medicine lies in better understanding the human genome and how our bodies function at the most basic level, and that requires reliable and inexpensive genome sequencing. Technological breakthroughs, such as fluorescent labelling and programs capable of reconstructing smaller DNA fragments, massively decreased costs of a full genome sequence to from $300 million in 2000 to $1,500 in 2016.
Fact of the Week: Projects Funded by ARPA-E are More Likely To Produce a Patent and Scientific Publication than Projects Funded by Other DOE Programs
Traditional theories of innovation stress the division between “basic” and “applied” research, and this division is embedded in federal R&D policy: The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Department of Energy’s Office of Science (DOE-SC) conduct basic research, while DOE’s energy technology offices fund applied research and development.
Fact of the Week: The U.S. Has the Highest Share of Female ICT Workers in the OECD
Women working in information and communications technology (ICT) constitute 1.86 percent of U.S. workers, which is 31 percent the rate of men working in ICT.
Fact of the Week: The Ratio of Societal to Private Returns From Investment in R&D Increased From 3:1 in 1980 to 4:1 in 2015
U.S. society captured four-fifths of the total returns on R&D (with the private sector gaining one-fifth) in the 2010s, up from three-fourths in the 1980s, writes John Wu in Innovation Files.
Fact of the Week: Only a Third of Online News is Original Content
Only a third of online news published in France is original content, writes John Wu in Innovation Files.
Fact of the Week: Manufacturing is not the Only Sector Employing Strong Share of Middle-Skilled Workers: the Film and Music Industries Employ Even Higher Shares
Middle-skill workers make up a fifth of the American workforce, but up to 25 and 30 percent in software and IT manufacturing, writes John Wu in Innovation Files.
Fact of the Week: If Drug Price Controls Were Lifted Throughout the OECD, the Number of new Treatments Available Would Increase 9 to 12 Percent by 2030
If drug price controls were lifted throughout the OECD, the number of new treatments available would increase 8 to 13 new drug compounds by 2030, writes John Wu in Innovation Files.
Fact of the Week: Approximately 70 Percent of the Patents Owned by Failed Tech Start-Ups are Eventually Purchased by Other Companies
Approximately 70 percent of the patents owned by failed tech start-ups are eventually purchased by other companies, most often by firms in the same sector and within the first year of start-ups’ closing, writes John Wu in Innovation Files.
Why U.S. Business R&D Is Not as Strong as It Appears
Business R&D growth over the past three decades has been anemic, and companies are focusing more on near-term product development, less on basic and applied research. Meanwhile, the U.S. government is cutting support for research while many other countries are expanding support.
Fact of the Week: In Mexican Manufacturing Firms, Increasing the Share of Workers Using Computers by 10 Percent Raises Productivity by 17 Percent
From 2008 to 2013, the average Mexican manufacturing firm's productivity rose 17 percent each time the share of workers using computers increased by 10 percent, writes John Wu in Innovation Files.
Fact of the Week: If not for the 2002 EU e-Privacy Directive, Venture Capital Investments into EU-Based Online Services Firms Could Have Been 57 Percent Greater, Cumulatively, by 2013
Based on prior experience, the EU's new General Data Protection Regulation will likely result in revenue decreases across online services firms, writes John Wu in Innovation Files.
Fact of the Week: The Productivity Gap Among Tech Start-Ups Widened 12 Percent From 1997 to 2013
New economic research show that from 1997 to 2013, productivity dispersion has widened across tech start-ups, writes John Wu in Innovation Files.
Recent Events and Presentations
The State of Technology-Based Startups in the U.S. Economy
Technology-based startups are key drivers of America’s economic growth because they make outsized contributions to employment, innovation, and productivity. Unfortunately, policymakers tend to focus indiscriminately on helping small business startups without specifically targeting technology-based startups that have high growth potential. How can policymakers support the formation and success of new technology firms at the national and local level?
