Some new economics of innovation in the digital age

On April 18th, 2018, Prof. Dr. Christina Raasch (Associate Professor for Digital Economy) will held her Inaugural on the topic "Some new economics of innovation in the digital age". The lecture is open to the public. Space is limited, so please register ahead of time.

Past event — 18 April 2018
18:0019:00 

Kühne Logistics University
Grosser Grasbrook 17, 20457 Hamburg, Room Forum / Foyer

English
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Prof. Dr. Christina Raasch

Professor of Digital Economy

Kühne Logistics University - KLU

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Abstract

This lecture will showcase new research in the economics of open and user innovation. Digital technology enables new distributed forms of innovation creation that empower users, that is, the demand side, to contribute. The first project to be presented shows that demand-side innovation creation requires a paradigm shift in economic modeling and that it has important economic implications for firms and society at large. The second project highlights that firms need new capabilities to benefit from innovation activities in the user domain, particularly need absorptive capacity. The third project focuses on digitally enabled distributed innovation inside firms, using data from enterprise crowdfunding at Siemens. These projects will be linked to Christina’s current activities and research agenda at KLU and the Kiel Institute.

Biography

Christina Raasch is Associate Professor of Digital Economy at Kühne Logistics University. She holds a joint appointment with the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW), where she is part of the Research Area focusing on Knowledge Creation and Growth.

She studied economics at the universities of St. Gallen and Oxford and holds a doctorate in management from Friedrich Alexander University in Erlangen-Nuremberg. During her habilitation studies, which she completed at TU Hamburg-Harburg, she spent 1.5 years as a visiting researcher at MIT Sloan School of Management. Before joining the KLU faculty in March 2017, she was Assistant Professor of Technology Management at Technische Universität München. She gained industry experience working as a consultant for ZS Associates as well as during various research projects conducted with companies in high tech and the digital economy.

In her research, Raasch investigates how both entrepreneurial and established companies can leverage digital technologies to become more innovative and more productive. She analyzes how digitalization changes business models and strategies as well as the nature and conditions of employment. Her current research projects focus on, e.g., enterprise crowd-funding, disruptive innovation by and with customers (demand-side or user innovation), and digital platforms.
In Raasch’s view, strategizing for complementarities with demand-side value creation is very much at the heart of the digital economy.