Caterina Chiopris

Knowledge Creation and Diffusion

Caterina Chiopris studies the creation and diffusion of new knowledge in German history. Specifically, she estimates the effect of a shock to spatial connections among German cities (the introduction of the railroad in the 19th century) on the creation of new ideas, the convergence of topics of publications across cities, the closure of knowledge gaps, and the diffusion of new ideas. While more – and more novel – knowledge is created, cities that become directly connected do not converge on fields or disciplines; rather, they specialize and diverge. Specialization is driven by scholars’ movement and the formation of clusters of knowledge. As a consequence, ideas do not necessarily diffuse more overall, but rather, they are more likely to diffuse within disciplines. Taken together, the results suggest that modern scientific disciplines arose as a function of the size of the market for ideas, and served as a coordination device that allowed specialization in knowledge production.

Caterina Chiopris’s research lies at the intersection of political economy, innovation, and economic history. Additional projects investigate the determinants of the geographical concentration of innovation, the development of the Italian state and religious organizations, as well as the formation and evolution of ideologies in 19th century Germany. During her visit at CESifo, Ms. Chiopris will work on the specialization and professionalization of the bureaucracy, and how knowledge in the state sciences has affected institutions and legislation.

Caterina Chiopris is an Academy Scholar at the Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies and will join Columbia University department of Political Science as an Assistant Professor in 2025. She received her PhD in Political Economy and Government from Harvard University, her MA from Duke University, and her BA from TU Dresden.