My research studies how policy and institutions shape innovation, and how innovation in turn affects energy transitions, environmental sustainability, and long-run economic growth. Combining economic theory with large-scale patent datasets from the United States, Europe, OECD countries, and China, I examine the mechanisms through which incentives for innovation translate into technological change.
Current Research: Innovation, Policy, and Energy Transitions
Itziar Lazkano & Marlo Vasquez, “Does the America Invents Act Boost Innovation?"
This paper examines whether the America Invents Act (AIA), the most significant reform of the U.S. patent system in decades, affected firms' incentives to innovate. Using patent-level data and variation in firms' exposure to the reform, we analyze how the shift from a first-to-invent to a first-inventor-to-file system influenced patenting activity and the quality of innovation. The results provide new evidence on how patent institutions shape innovative behavior and offer insights into the effectiveness of patent policy as a tool for promoting technological progress.
Itziar Lazkano, Siyu Feng & Yi Han. Litigation Risk in Energy Technologies: Evidence from U.S. Patents.
Patent litigation is often viewed as a necessary mechanism for protecting intellectual property, but it may also create uncertainty and increase the costs of innovation. This paper studies litigation risk in energy technologies using U.S. patent data and identifies the technological areas most exposed to legal disputes. We examine how litigation risk is associated with subsequent innovation activity and discuss its implications for the development and diffusion of energy technologies. The findings contribute to ongoing debates about the role of intellectual property institutions in supporting clean energy transitions.
Itziar Lazkano, & Jangsu Yoon, "The Effect of U.S. Anti-Troll Patent Laws on Litigations and Innovation Activity"
Over the last decade, many U.S. states adopted anti-patent-troll legislation aimed at reducing opportunistic patent litigation. This paper evaluates whether these laws achieved their intended objectives by examining their effects on both patent litigation and innovation activity. Exploiting variation in the timing of state-level reforms, we find evidence that anti-troll laws reduced litigation while also influencing firms’ incentives to innovate. The results highlight how legal and institutional reforms can have broader consequences for technological development and the innovation ecosystem.
Siyu Feng, Yi Han, Itziar Lazkano, & Marlo Vasquez. "Do EV Adoption Policies Boost Innovation in Energy Storage? Evidence from China"
Electric vehicle adoption policies are typically designed to accelerate transportation electrification, but they may also affect innovation in related technologies. This paper investigates whether EV adoption policies in China stimulated innovation in energy storage technologies, a critical component of the clean energy transition. Combining policy data with a novel dataset of Chinese patents, we show that demand-side policies can generate significant innovation spillovers beyond the EV sector itself. The findings provide new evidence on how climate and industrial policies shape the direction of technological change and accelerate the development of complementary clean technologies.
Innovation and Energy Transitions
Itziar Lazkano, Siyu Feng & Ekin Ayasli (2025). Does the Shale Gas Revolution Hinder Clean Energy Innovation?, Economics of Energy & Environmental Policy, Vol. 14.
Siyu Feng & Itziar Lazkano, (2025). Energy Storage and Clean Energy Transitions, Energy Policy, Vol. 198, March, pp. 114447.
Siyu Feng & Itziar Lazkano, (2022). Innovation Trends in Electricity Storage: What Drives Global Innovation?, Energy Policy, Vol. 167, August, pp. 113084.
Itziar Lazkano, Linda Nøstbakken & Martino Pelli, (2017). "From Fossil Fuels to Renewables: The Role of Electricity Storage," European Economic Review, Vol. 99, October, pp. 113-129.
Environmental Macroeconomics
Francisco M. Gonzalez, Itziar Lazkano & Sjak Smulders, (2018). "Intergenerational altruism with future bias," Journal of Economic Theory, Vol. 178, November, pp. 436-454.
Itziar Lazkano & Linh Pham, (2016). "Can Capital-Energy Substitution Foster Economic Growth?," Land Economics, Vol. 92 Iss. 3, pp. 491-514.
Itziar Lazkano, Walid Marrouch & Bruno Nkuiya, (2016). "Adaptation to Climate Change: How does Heterogeneity in Adaptation Costs Affect Climate Coalitions?," Environment and Development Economics, 5, pp. 1-27.
Natural Resource Management
Itziar Lazkano & Linda Nøstbakken, (2016). "Quota Enforcement and Capital Investment in Natural Resource Industries," Marine Resource Economics, Vol. 31 Iss. 3, pp. 339-354.
Itziar Lazkano, Linda Nøstbakken & Raúl Prellezo, (2013). "Past and Future Management of a Collapsed Fishery: The Bay of Biscay Anchovy," Natural Resource Modeling, Vol. 26 Iss.3, pp. 281-304.
Raúl Prellezo, Itziar Lazkano, Marina Santurtún & Ane Iriondo, (2009). "A Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Selection of Fishing Area by Basque Trawlers," Fisheries Research, Vol. 97 Iss. 1 (2009) pp. 24-31.
Itziar Lazkano, (2008). "Cost Structure and Capacity Utilisation in Multi-Product Industries: an Application to the Basque Trawl Industry," Environmental and Resource Economics, Vol. 41 Iss. 2, pp 189-207.