Place-Based Policies and Entrepreneurship Pre-Conference
Organized by Sabrina T. Howell, Josh Lerner, and David T. Robinson
Supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
July 19, 2026
The Royal Sonesta Hotel, 40 Edwin Land Boulevard Cambridge, MA
Each author will be given 18 minutes to present and 7 minutes for questions
Sunday, July 19
12:30 pm
Registration and Light Lunch
1:00 pm
Introductions
1:05 pm

Geography Matters More for Small Firms: Frontier Skill Supply in Startup Labor Markets

Paul J. Hamilton, Harvard University
David H. Hsu, University of Pennsylvania
Prasanna Tambe, University of Pennsylvania
Zhiwei Wang, University of Pennsylvania
1:30 pm

The Welfare Effects of Place-Based Talent Incentives

Nghiem Q. Huynh, University of Oklahoma
Rui Du, Oklahoma State University
Weizeng Sun, Central University of Finance and Economics
1:55 pm

The State of European Entrepreneurship: Trends in Quantity and Quality in France, Germany, and the UK (2009–2023)

Massimo G. Colombo Prof., Politecnico di Milano
Lena Josep. Füner, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research
Massimiliano Guerini, Politecnico di Milano
Hanna Hottenrott, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf
Daniel F. Souza, Polytechnic University of Milan
2:20 pm

The Effects of Place-Based Policies on Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Evidence from 3D Printing

Wendy A. Bradley, San Jose State University
Julian Kolev, US Patent and Trademark Office
2:45 pm
Break
3:00 pm

The Persistence of Entrepreneurial Geography: Evidence and Implications for Place-based Policy

John M. Barrios, Yale University and NBER
Yael Hochberg, Rice University and NBER
Daniele Macciochi, University of Miami

Place-Based Policies and the Changing Geography of American Entrepreneurship

Paper
Catherine E. Fazio, Boston University
Jorge Guzman, Columbia University and NBER
Scott Stern, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and NBER
Weiliang Tan, Claremont McKenna College
3:50 pm

Historical Entrepreneurship and Local Growth

Shawn Kantor, Florida State University and NBER
Zhihao Wang, University of Calgary
Alexander T. Whalley, University of Calgary
4:15 pm

Which Firms Drive the Gains from Connectivity and Competition? The Impact of India’s Golden Quadrilateral across the Firm Life Cycle

Arti Grover, The World Bank
William F. Maloney, The World Bank
4:40 pm
Break
4:45 pm

Place-Based Policy for Entrepreneurship: Evidence from Opportunity Zones

Matthew Freedman, University of California, Irvine
Noah Arman Kouchekinia, University of California, Irvine
David Neumark, University of California, Irvine and NBER
4:55 pm

Cycles, Clusters, and VC-Backed Innovation: Evidence from Four Decades of U.S. Patenting

Sabrina T. Howell, Harvard University and NBER
Josh Lerner, Harvard University and NBER
Ramana Nanda, Imperial College London
Richard R. Townsend, University of California, San Diego and NBER
5:20 pm

Fostering Early-Stage Capital Formation: Lessons from BDC

Camille Hebert, University of Toronto
David T. Robinson, Duke University and NBER
6:10 pm
Reception