Erling Steigum

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Total Citations

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About

Erling Steigum is a distinguished Norwegian economist whose research has profoundly shaped our understanding of macroeconomic dynamics, fiscal policy, and the economic implications of technological change. His work spans key areas including growth theory, public finance, and the intersection of automation and economic development. Steigum's most notable contribution is his pioneering analysis of robotics and growth, where he developed a one-sector optimal growth model examining the introduction of "robot capital goods." By assuming a high elasticity of substitution between workers and robots, he demonstrated that growth paths could either converge to a steady state or generate endogenous growth without scale effects—a groundbreaking insight that has garnered 26 citations. Beyond this, his extensive body of work on fiscal sustainability, intergenerational redistribution, and the Norwegian economy has made him a leading voice in European macroeconomics. As a professor at BI Norwegian Business School and former president of the European Economic Association, Steigum's research continues to inform policy debates on automation, public debt, and long-run economic growth, cementing his legacy as a scholar who bridges theoretical rigor with real-world relevance.