Seminario pubblico di Chiara Conti
In ottemperanza ai requisiti previsti dalla procedura selettiva per 1 posto di RICERCATORE A TEMPO DETERMINATO IN TENURE TRACK (RTT) per il Settore Concorsuale 13/A4 – Settore Scientifico Disciplinare SECS-P/06, presso il Dipartimento di Ingegneria Informatica, Automatica e Gestionale Antonio Ruberti, codice concorso 2023RTTER005, D.R. n. 408/2024 del 20.02.2024 (consultabile sul Portale di Ateneo al seguente link: https://web.uniroma1.it/trasparenza/sites/default/files/2023RTTER005_DR_...) si terrà il seminario pubblico di Chiara Conti sulle sue attività di ricercaa il giorno giovedi 29 febbraio 2024, alle ore 18:00, in Aula A4 (DIAG) e in collegamento Zoom https://uniroma1.zoom.us/j/88192371137?pwd=QS94bnlBQnJrY2RSMmUxZzU1cGUrdz09
Title: Personal data, Product Innovation and Privacy Regulation
Abstract
The availability of data, combined with the use of AI, is key to innovation in several industries. However, the risks of misuse of sensitive data raises privacy concerns, fostering a vibrant debate on the need to monitor the collection and use of personal data. The aim of this talk is to discuss how privacy measures aimed at protecting individuals by providing them more control over personal data affects innovation processes. This talk will focus on two recently published papers. The first one is about the effects of opt-in privacy regulation (as implemented by EU GDPR) on firms’ ability to price discriminate and invest in product quality, and finally on consumer welfare. When consumers decide to share personal data, they benefit from the complementarity between information and quality, but this provides firms with greater ability to extract surplus. If the complementarity is strong enough, consent-based privacy regime may lead firms to improve product quality, but harms consumers with a strong taste for privacy. The second one investigates how the availability of patients’ data affects healthcare innovation in targeted treatments and the related welfare effects. The public good nature of this type of innovation creates incentives to free-ride in the provision of health data. This in turn can generate underinvestment in pharmaceutical R&D. A brief discussion on future research directions will conclude the talk.
Short bio
Chiara Conti received her M.Sc. Degree in Economics from University of Milano-Bicocca and her Ph.D. in Economics from University of Milan. During her Ph.D. she was a visiting student at CORE-Universitè Catholique de Louvain (Belgium). Chiara was first PostDoc researcher and then Assistant Professor (RTD-A) in Applied Economics at the Department of Computer, Control, and Management Engineering “Antonio Ruberti” of the University La Sapienza. Since 2023 she has been Assistant Professor in Applied Economics at the Gran Sasso Science Institute. She has recently obtained the National Scientific Qualification (ASN) as Associate Professor in Italian Universities in Applied Economics (SC 13/A4). She has worked on several research projects, funded by national and international institutions (e.g. EU, MUR, ANR), concerning the evaluation of EU and national policies, the analysis of technology transfer and the role of personal data in innovation processes. Chiara has published in leading international journals such as Research Policy, Regional Studies, Information Economics and Policy, Economics of Innovation and New Technology. Her main research interests are in Industrial Organization, with a focus on innovation, privacy regulation, and the economic impact of public policies. In her studies, she develops both theoretical models and micro-econometric analyses.