Klaus Keller, M.A.

Doctoral Student and Junior Research Fellow

Innovation and Entrepreneurship Research

+49 89 24246-580
klaus.keller(at)ip.mpg.de

Areas of Interest:

International Trade, Labor Economics, Applied Econometrics, Automation and Artificial Intelligence

Academic Résumé

Since 07/2019
Junior Research Fellow and Doctoral Candidate at Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition (Innovation and Entrepreneurship Research)

03/2019 - 07/2019
Junior Research Officer, International Labour Organisation (ILO), Geneva, Switzerland

09/2018 - 03/2019
Research Internship, International Labour Organisation (ILO), Geneva, Switzerland

06/2018 - 09/2018
Research Internship, World Trade Organization (WTO), Geneva, Switzerland

01/2018 - 02/2018
Research Internship, Kiel Institute for the World Economy, Kiel

09/2017 - 12/2017
Swiss Mobility Exchange, University of St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland

09/2016 - 09/2018
Master of Arts (M.A.) in Internatonal Economics, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva, Switzerland

06/2016 - 09/2016
Traineeship, Delegation of the European Union to Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein, Bern, Switzerland

02/2016 - 04/2016
Internship, Permanent Mission of the Sovereign Military Order of St.John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta to the United Nations, Geneva, Switzerland

09/2014 - 05/2015
Exchange Scholarship, Faculty of Art and Sciences, American University of Beirut, Lebanon

09/2012 - 06/2017
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in International Relations, Université de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland

Honors, Scholarships, Academic Prizes

09/2018 - 03/2019
Carlo-Schmid-Program, Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD)

2017 - 2018
Cusanuswerk Scholarship

2011
Schaeffler-Prize for the best scientific baccalaureate

Publications

Further Publications, Press Articles, Interviews

Keller, Klaus; Scheuerer, Stefan; Wiedemann, Klaus (2021). 'New Directions in the European Union's Innovation Policy?' Report on the Conference of the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition in Collaboration with the MPI Alumni Association in Munich, 9 July 2021, GRUR International - Journal of European and International IP Law, 70 (11), 1074-1078. DOI

    Discussion Papers

    Chugunova, Marina; Juanmarti, Arnau; Keller, Klaus; Samila, Sampsa (2021). Robots, China and Polls: Structural Shocks and Political Participation in the US, Max Planck Institute for Innovation & Competition Research Paper, No. 21-22. DOI

    • What is the effect of labour market adjustment to automation on political participation? We study the consequences of the introduction of industrial robots across US commuting zones on voter turnout in US counties between 2000 and 2016. We first replicate prior results showing negative effects of exposure to robots on employment and household incomes at local labour markets and then show that an increase in the exposure by one robot per thousand workers leads to a 0.64 percentage point lower voter turnout at US presidential elections. We contrast this result with the effect of the exposure to Chinese imports, for which we do not find a negative effect on political participation. Using individual level data we document that people at risk of automation are 15% percent more likely to abstain. To understand why the effect is not uniform, we conduct an online survey experiment. We find that the nature of the shock matters beyond the mere economic consequences. While the government is seen as instrumental in addressing the trade shock, it is perceived less effective in the case of automation. Our finding highlight an important behavioral aspect of the political economy of technological change.

    Presentations and Lectures

    02.11.2021
    Robotizing to Compete – Evidence from the EU Enlargement
    LMU International Trade Retreat
    Location: Munich


    18.10.2021
    Robots, China and Polls – Structural Shocks and Political Participation in the US
    DRUID Conference 2021
    Location: Copenhagen, Denmark


    13.10.2021
    Robots, China and Polls – Structural Shocks and Political Participation in the US
    9th Retreat of CRC TRR 190, Collaborative Research Center Rationality and Competition
    Location: Ohlstadt


    06.10.2021
    Knowledge Spillovers and Corporate Investment in Scientific Research
    by Ashish Arora, Sharon Belenzon, and Lia Sheer
    Harhoff-Schnitzer-Waldinger Reading Seminar
    Location: Berg bei Starnberg


    29.09.2021
    Automation and Foreign Competition – Evidence from Portuguese Firms
    Research Seminar
    Location: Feldkirchen-Westerham


    19.04.2021
    Automation and Foreign Competition – Evidence from Portuguese Firms
    Munich Innovation Seminar
    Location: online


    24.03.2021
    Automation and Foreign Competition – Evidence from Portuguese Firms
    Research Seminar
    Location: online


    10.09.2020
    Automation and Public Health – Evidence From US Local Labor Markets
    Research Seminar
    Location: online


    04.03.2020
    Automation and Competition – Theory and Empirics
    Research Seminar
    Location: Schneefernerhaus/Zugspitze


    19.02.2020
    Growing Apart: Tradable Services and the Fragmentation of the US Economy, by Fabian Eckert
    Harhoff-Schnitzer-Waldinger Reading Seminar
    Location: Frauenchiemsee


    27.11.2019
    Provable Transactions – Exploring the Boundaries of Trust of Smart Contracts on Blockchain
    Discussant, TIME Seminar, TU Munich
    Location: Munich