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About

Antonio Andreoni is a prominent industrial economist whose research sits at the intersection of technological change, industrial policy, and global value chains. He has emerged as a leading scholar in understanding the drivers and dynamics of industrial robotisation, with particular emphasis on the automotive sector as a critical lens through which to examine broader questions of technological adoption and economic transformation. Andreoni's most significant contributions center on unpacking the relationship between foreign direct investment and robot adoption across automotive value chains, demonstrating empirically how domestic capabilities and inward FDI jointly shape firms' technological trajectories. His work challenges simplistic narratives about automation by revealing the heterogeneous, firm-level realities of robotisation — as illustrated through his influential case studies of South African automotive assemblers. His research has also broadened geographically, with notable investigations into China's structural drivers and spatial diffusion of robotisation, situating the country's dominant global position within a multi-scalar industrial policy framework. Collectively accumulating nearly 70 citations, Andreoni's body of work has meaningfully advanced scholarly understanding of how developing and emerging economies navigate the Fourth Industrial Revolution. His research carries important implications for policymakers seeking to harness automation for inclusive industrialisation.