About Me

Qualifications

2014 PhD Economics Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany

2009 MSc Technology Management Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria

2003 BSc Mechanical Engineering Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria

Research Programme:

My research is currently organised along three broad themes:

1. Economics of Innovation/Entrepreneurship

In this theme, the central focus is on the micro-level factors that affect firm-level, sectoral and regional propensity to create new knowledge and technologies. This is important from both a policy and practical point of view. I rely mainly on the theoretical foundations of evolutionary economics. My main analytical approaches are microeconometric analyses of firm and sector-level data. Typical research questions include

o what roles do entrepreneur attributes (e.g. training, spiritual capital, etc) play in firm-level innovation?

o what characterises highly innovative firms and regions?

o how does innovation vary across sectors (e.g., service versus manufacturing) and contexts (e.g., developing versus developed countries)?

o what interactions within innovation systems (national, regional and local) including university-industry linkages

o how do new technologies affect the evolution of firms, sectors and markets?

2. Technology and Innovation Management

In this theme, I explore the processes of open and distributive innovation not only at the firm level but also at individual and team levels. The main analytical tools include case studies and social network analyses. Typical research questions include:

o how does team diversity affect innovation?

o do multidisciplinary teams perform better than relatively homogenous ones, and why?

o how does cognitive or technological distance condition the probability and outcome of collaboration?

3. Development Economics

In this theme, I study the dynamics of economic growth and development particularly in latecomer countries. The main analytical tools include microeconometric analyses of detailed secondary datasets. Typical research questions include:

o how does national context influence development requisites like innovation and entrepreneurship?

o why do some countries succeed in technological catch-up and others fail?

Recently Completed (Team Research, Technical Reports etc):

The supply of high-quality entrepreneurs in developing countries - evidence from Nigeria (implemented with funding from PEDL)
Creating a micro-level innovation dataset in Nigeria (implemented with funding from PEDL)
Assessment of Innovation Capability in the Manufacturing Sector in Nigeria (implemented by NACETEM with funding from the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, Abuja, Nigeria)
Technological Entrepreneurial Attitude in Nigerian Tertiary Institutions (implemented by NACETEM with funding from the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, Abuja, Nigeria)
Assessment of Technological Entrepreneurial Attitudinal Status in Nigerian Tertiary Institutions (World Bank Assisted STEP-B Project implemented by NACETEM)
Impact Assessment of the Education Trust Fund’s Micro-Science Kits Project (NACETEM Consultancy Project for the Education Trust Fund [ETF], Abuja)
Report on Paradigm Shift in Primary Science Education in Nigeria and Development of a Business Plan for the Production of Primary Science Kits [PSK] (Consultancy Project for the National Agency for Science and EngineeringInfrastructure [NASENI], Abuja, Nigeria)
Report on Compact Energy Devices (Consultancy Project for the National Agency for Science and EngineeringInfrastructure [NASENI], Abuja, Nigeria)