Otto Toivanen

My research interests are in the intersection of competition, innovation and regulation. In one of my main projects, I study the economics of innovation policy, more specifically the effects of R&D subsidies and R&D tax credits. In another project I study innovation at the level of individuals – questions like: what affects the probability of becoming an inventor, how large are the monetary returns to invention, how are non-inventing coworkers affected by invention? In a third project I study cartels.

I received my Ph.D. from University of Warwick. After receiving my Ph.D. I have worked at University of Warwick, at Helsinki School of Economics, as the director of both the joint research institute of the economics departments of Hanken School of Economics, Helsinki School of Economics (now Aalto University School of Business) and University of Helsinki and the Finnish Doctoral Programme in Economics. I moved to my current position at Aalto from KU Leuven.  I have been a visiting researcher at MIT, NBER and UC Berkeley.

I have been a member of the executive committee of EARIE and of the organization committee of the CEPR IO program, and on the editorial board of several journals. I have held several positions of trust, e.g., I am a member of the Economic Advisory Group on Competition Policy at EU’s competition authority (DG Competition) and chair of the Scientific Council of VATT Institute of Economic Research.