Hans Koster

National Bureau of Economic Research, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Hans Koster is a leading empirical economist whose research focuses on the intersection of labor economics, urban economics, and technological change. His most prominent work investigates the impact of automation on workers and firms, particularly through his landmark study "Robots and Workers: Evidence from the Netherlands" (2023, 59 citations). In this influential paper, Koster leverages a comprehensive employer-employee panel dataset spanning 2009–2020 to provide causal evidence that robot adoption boosts firm-level value added and hours worked, while also examining nuanced effects on individual workers. This contribution has been pivotal in shaping the debate on automation's labor market consequences, offering a rigorous European perspective to complement U.S.-focused studies. Koster’s broader research portfolio includes influential work on housing markets, land use regulation, and agglomeration economies, demonstrating his versatility in applying quasi-experimental methods to pressing policy questions. His findings have informed both academic discourse and policy discussions on the future of work and urban development. With a growing citation record and a reputation for meticulous empirical analysis, Koster stands out as a key voice in understanding how technology reshapes economic landscapes.