Rodimiro Rodrigo

National Bureau of Economic Research, George Washington University, Georgetown University

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About

Rodimiro Rodrigo is an economist whose research sits at the intersection of automation, labor markets, and economic development. His work makes a distinctive contribution by extending the study of robotics and technological change beyond the developed world, examining how automation in advanced economies reverberates through developing countries. In his highly cited 2020 paper, "U.S. Robots and their Impacts in the Tropics: Evidence from Colombian Labor Markets" (49 citations), Rodrigo demonstrates that automation by a key trading partner like the United States can generate meaningful labor market disruptions in developing nations such as Colombia — a finding that challenges researchers to think globally about the consequences of technological change. Rodrigo's 2023 study, "Robot Adoption, Organizational Capital, and the Productivity Paradox" (17 citations), tackles one of the central puzzles in innovation economics: why productivity often stagnates before improving following major technological transitions. Using rigorous event study methods, he documents a characteristic five-year lag between robot adoption and measurable productivity gains, shedding light on the organizational adjustments firms must navigate. Together, his contributions offer valuable insights for policymakers in both developed and developing economies grappling with the uneven and often delayed benefits of automation.