Kevin Gawora
Economic Policy Analyst
Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
Kevin Gawora was an economic policy research analyst at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF). Previously, he was a research analyst at the International Monetary Fund. Kevin holds a master’s degree in international economics and finance from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, and a double bachelor’s degree in international relations and economics from Occidental College.
Recent Publications
Fact of the Week: Online Freelance Labor Platforms Have Registered an Estimated 163 Million Profiles Worldwide
Although online freelance work will certainly keep growing in the years ahead, policymakers and businesses should see it as temporary work for small projects, rather than a new source of sustainable, long-term job creation.
U.S. University R&D Funding Falls Further Behind OECD Peers
The United States continues its relative fall in university research and development funding. To become the leader among OECD nations in government funding for university research as a share of GDP, investment would have to increase by $90 billion per year.
Fact of the Week: When the Most Productive Firms in Estonia Have More Access to Broadband Internet Service, Their Productivity Growth Increases Five Times More Than Average
These results point to continued productivity gains from ICT investment, but divergent productivity growth between the most productive firms and those with average levels of productivity.
Fact of the Week: Every Dollar of U.S. Government-Funded Defense R&D Leads to an Additional 52 Cents in Private R&D
Three economists examined this relationship by looking at the aggregate effect of government-funded R&D on private-sector R&D, output, employment, and wages in OECD countries over 23 years. After controlling for variations in defense spending, the authors find that every dollar of defense R&D spending in the United States increases private sector R&D spending by almost 52 cents—such that private R&D investment would have been $85 billion lower over the studied period without government-funded defense R&D.
Fact of the Week: One Course of a COVID-19 Vaccine Has an Estimated Economic Benefit of More Than $5,800
Furthermore, an additional billion courses of the vaccine on top of the estimated three billion, if administered in April of this year, would net additional economic benefits of $989 billion.
Fact of the Week: Skilled Migrants to the U.S. Are Up To Six Times More Productive in Scientific Research Than Those Who Stay Home
Migrants to the U.S. are more likely to choose academic careers, and among those who choose academic careers, migrants to the U.S. are more productive than stayers.
Fact of the Week: Portuguese R&D Tax Incentives Spurred Investments in Productivity-Boosting Assets by 0.8 to 2.4 Percent Of Firms’ Total Assets
Public support for R&D is critical to bridge the gap in incentivizing technological progress. Three Portuguese economists examined the investment impact of tax incentives for “intangible investments,” another term for non-physical investments that increase productivity, such as human capital, software, and innovation.
Fact of the Week: Innovations in Cancer Treatment Between 1992 and 2010 Reduced the Negative Employment Effects of Cancer in Canada by 63 to 70 Percent
These strong effects point to the tremendous spillover benefits that medical innovations have on the labor market and the economy as a whole.
Fact of the Week: French Firms Just Below the Threshold for a Higher Tax Burden Were 11 Percentage Points Less Likely to Innovate Than Their Bigger and Smaller Peers
The “growth tax” seems to not significantly affect patenting in firms with more than 50 employees, since larger firms are more profitable and innovative due to economies of scale and have already priced the tax into their cost structures.
Fact of the Week: Indian Firms That Collaborated With Foreign Firms to Create One Patent Application Later Applied for More Patents Themselves and Increased Profitability Growth by 28 Percent
When domestic firms collaborate with foreign firms, domestic firms can benefit from knowledge spillovers, which has the potential to improve their performance. This is especially important if the domestic firm is in a developing country, as it allows the firm to “catch up” to world leaders, which boosts economic growth.
Fact of the Week: Increasing Research, Education, and University Slots With a 0.5 Percent Subsidy Could Increase Long-Run Growth Between 1 and 4 Percentage Points
On average, a 0.5 percent increase in research, education funding, and university spots increases long-run growth by 2.6, 4.7, and 1.3 percentage points, respectively.
Fact of the Week: China Has Provided Its State-Owned National Champion in Commercial Aviation as Much as $72 Billion in Development Subsidies
But these generous policies so far have not resulted in market dominance. To date, only 148 of COMAC’s planes are confirmed to have been purchased.
