The Department of Economics is delighted to congratulate Chenchuan Shi, who has been nominated for the European Central Bank’s 2026 Young Economist Prize for her paper, Knowledge Generality, Competition and Growth.
The Young Economist Prize is the ECB’s annual research competition for PhD students, recognising young economists whose work brings fresh perspectives to major challenges facing Europe’s economy. The theme of the 2026 ECB Forum on Central Banking is “shaping Europe’s future: innovation, growth and stability”.
Chenchuan’s research explores a fundamental question for modern economies: how does the nature of knowledge itself - specifically, how broadly it can be applied across different technologies and industries - shape innovation, competition, and long-run growth?
Combining an endogenous growth model with micro-level data, the paper examines how firms make innovation decisions when knowledge varies in its generality. Chenchuan shows that more general forms of knowledge - those that can be reused and adapted across multiple contexts - play a crucial role in fostering knowledge diffusion throughout the economy.
The research also sheds light on the relationship between innovation and market structure, showing how the generality of knowledge can influence competitive behaviour and the trajectory of economic development.
These findings contribute to ongoing policy discussions around innovation strategy, competition, and productivity growth, especially as economies navigate rapid technological change.
Chenchuan is supervised by Professor Martin Ellison and Professor Petr Sedlacek. Her nomination is a wonderful recognition of the originality, ambition and policy relevance of his research.
The Department warmly congratulates Chenchuan on this achievement and wishes her every success in the competition!
