Abstract/Summary

The present dissertation collects methodological and empirical works developed with the aim of moving forward the debate on the diffusion and the economic implications of advanced manufacturing technologies (AMTs) of the Industry 4.0 (I4.0) wave. In line with current open research avenues in the literature, in the four Chapters we answer the following research questions: (i) How can we measure with precision both the adoption and the production – i.e. the overall diffusion – of AMTs across countries and over time? (ii) What is the relationship between the adoption of AMTs, total factor productivity (TFP) growth, and technological catch-up across manufacturing industries? (iii) Does the adoption of AMTs push or discourage manufacturing firms to restructure business activities through collective layoffs? (iv) What is the relationship between the growing diffusion of additive manufacturing (or 3D printing) innovations and employment across manufacturing industries? We address these questions with methodological and empirical rigour, providing novel insights on still underexplored research areas. On the one hand, our findings open up for further research across several streams of both the economics and management literature. On the other hand, they allow us to outline clear implications and potential suggestions for both institutional policymakers and managers, analysing the effectiveness of current policies targeting the I4.0 revolution and support managers in harnessing the benefits spurring from the adoption of AMTs.