What are your research interests right now?My research has always aimed to understand the role and place of institutions, or the rules of the game that define what individuals and organizations can or cannot do. In particular, I have focused on how formal institutions (e.g., IPR laws) can affect innovation and entrepreneurship. Right now, I am continuing to work on institutions, even if possibly from a different angle, as I have been increasingly fascinated by the role played by informal institutions (social norms and culture) in shaping how people create and protect innovative business ideas.
What do you think is your most exciting contribution to academia?What I find particularly interesting is that sometimes laws and regulations have unintended consequences on innovative or entrepreneurial outcomes. For example, in a
recent article, we focused on the unintended effect of LGBT antidiscrimination employment laws on entrepreneurship. These antidiscrimination laws are designed, in principle, to reduce discrimination against minority employees. However, we found that these laws might also affect entrepreneurship and innovation. Indeed, if employees feel happy in the workplace as their employer does not discriminate against them, they will be less inclined to start a new business, unless they have a very good and innovative entrepreneurial idea. So this type of law will tend to decrease the quantity of new ventures but increase their quality.
Tell us something personal about yourself.During the pandemic, boredom led me to learn cooking. Without false modesty, I can say that now, after some trials and errors, my pasta with "amatriciana" sauce is great.
Thanks Raffaele!
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