Papers
3
Total Citations
260
H-Index
3
About
Cathy Buffington is a leading researcher in the economics of technology adoption, whose work provides critical, data-driven insights into how U.S. firms integrate advanced technologies and automation. Her primary research areas center on the diffusion of robotics, artificial intelligence, and other cutting-edge tools across the manufacturing and broader business landscape. Buffington’s major contributions stem from her pioneering use of new survey modules within the U.S. Census Bureau’s Annual Business Survey. Her highly cited 2020 paper (169 citations) introduced this novel survey framework to study the causes and consequences of technology adoption, fundamentally shaping how researchers and policymakers understand this dynamic. She further advanced the field with her 2022 analysis of automation’s impact on the workforce (85 citations), providing a crucial firm-level view. Her recent work (2023) on “robot hubs” reveals that establishment size, not geography, is the primary driver of robotics investment. Through her partnership with the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES), Buffington’s research has become an indispensable resource for understanding the technological transformation of the American economy.
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