Guest Seminar: Marco Martinez

Assistant Professor Marco Martinez from the University of Pisa will present

"The French Connection: technology transfer and invention between Fin-de-Siècle France and Italy"

(co-authored with Youssouf Merouani and Faustine Perrine, Lund University)

Abstract:

This study examines cross-border technological exchange between France and Italy between 1861 and 1900. It analyses patenting activity and inventor mobility using harmonised historical patent databases from both countries. It explores the extent of technological convergence, the direction and intensity of patent flows, and the role of inventors who patented in both countries. Integrating patent data with institutional analysis, the paper sheds light on the mechanisms of bilateral technology transfer and innovation diffusion in late nineteenth-century Europe.

Bio:

Marco Martinez is assistant professor (ricercatore tenure-track) at the University of Pisa. His research primarily focuses on the development of technological and educational capabilities in historical perspective, with a focus on Italy (19th-20th century). His work has been published in journals such as Explorations in Economic History, The Economic History Review, Cliometrica, Review of Income and Wealth, Business History, Rivista di Storia Economica/Italian Review of Economic History, Annals of the Fondazione Luigi Einaudi, and British Journal for the Philosophy of Science. For further information, see: https://sites.google.com/view/marcomartinez/home.

The seminar will be held in English.