themes

Many questions that are often lumped into a broad category of “innovation” can be more rigorously thought about as questions of endogenous technological change. How do a society’s problem-solving abilities change over time? What is the optimal design of institutions to support step function technological changes?

The general idea of a “rule,” can be read to encompass a wide-range of things including statutes, regulations, common law, guidelines, contracts, norms, corporate policies, and unspoken practices. At the intersection of health and technology, each of these rule categories applies, and each has tangible effect on health outcomes.

Technology and innovation underpin finance.  In order to manage risk and channel money from savers and investors to entities that need it, technologies arose that pooled risk and money across many, diverse people and organizations. Digitalis Research is particularly interested in how financial support for certain categories of technology (e.g., therapeutics) over others (e.g., research tools) impacts innovation and health.

The advent of new technologies often outstrips our existing ethical and equity frameworks.  Society is then forced to revisit basic normative issues such as the boundaries of privacy, the role of intellectual property, and even the definition of humanity. Digitalis Research is particularly interested in how health is effected as a basic human right.