| Author Name | KAWAGUCHI Daiji (Faculty Fellow, RIETI) / KITAO Sagiri (Senior Fellow (Specially Appointed), RIETI) / NOSE Manabu (The International Monetary Fund) |
|---|---|
| Creation Date/NO. | March 2025 25-E-023 |
| Research Project | Household Heterogeneity: Individuals, families and macroeconomy |
| Download / Links |
Abstract
This study examines how CEO age influences the speed of technology adoption, focusing on e-commerce diffusion during COVID-19. Using unique survey data linked to credit scores and trading networks, we find firms are more likely to adopt e-commerce when their trading partners do, with adoption elasticity rising from 0.27 in 2020 to 0.37 in 2021. However, firms led by older CEOs respond more slowly, with elasticity decreasing by 0.13 to 0.21 for CEOs 10 years above the average. These findings highlight the role of leadership demographics in technology diffusion and firms' adaptability in digital transformation.
