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Canadian manufacturers' relative productivity performance, 1907–1990

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  • Ian Keay

Abstract

In this paper I calculate TFP ratios for a sample of Canadian manufacturers relative to their American counterparts on an annual basis throughout most of the twentieth century. The data used to calculate these ratios are drawn from both industry‐level and firm‐level statistical sources. I find that, in contrast to the relative labour productivity evidence in the literature, when TFP is used as the measuring stick, there is virtually no evidence of consistent and substantial relative technical inefficiency on behalf of the Canadian manufacturers represented in my sample. JEL Classification: D24, N60 Dans ce mémoire, l'auteur calcule les ratios de la productivité totale des facteurs de production (PTF) des manufacturiers canadiens par rapport à celle de leurs collègues américains sur une base annuelle pour la plus grande partie du vingtième siècle. Les données utilisées sont tirées des sources statistiques tant au niveau de l'industrie que de l'entreprise. On montre que, contrairement à ce que suggère la littérature spécialisée à propos de la productivité relative du travail, quand la PTF est utilisée comme étalon de mesure, on ne trouve vraiment pas vraiment de résultats qui suggéreraient une inefficacité technique relative substantielle et persistante des manufacturiers canadiens de l'échantillon.

Suggested Citation

  • Ian Keay, 2000. "Canadian manufacturers' relative productivity performance, 1907–1990," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 33(4), pages 1049-1068, November.
  • Handle: RePEc:wly:canjec:v:33:y:2000:i:4:p:1049-1068
    DOI: 10.1111/0008-4085.00053
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    Cited by:

    1. Satya Paul & Balbir S. Sahni & Bagala P. Biswal, 2004. "Public Infrastructure and the Productive Performance of Canadian Manufacturing Industries," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 70(4), pages 998-1011, April.
    2. Apostolov Mico, 2016. "Foreign Direct Investments Induced Innovation? A Case Study − Macedonia," Comparative Economic Research, Sciendo, vol. 19(1), pages 5-25, March.
    3. Gillian C. Hamilton & Ian Keay & Frank D. Lewis, 2017. "Contributions to Canadian economic history: The last 30 years," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 50(5), pages 1632-1657, December.
    4. Cristiano Antonelli & Francesco Quatraro, 2010. "The effects of biased technological change on total factor productivity: empirical evidence from a sample of OECD countries," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 35(4), pages 361-383, August.
    5. Hussain, Jakir & Bernard, Jean-Thomas, 2017. "Regional productivity convergence: An analysis of the pulp and paper industries in U.S., Canada, Finland, and Sweden," Journal of Forest Economics, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 49-62.
    6. Michael Hinton, 2011. "Was Canadian Manufacturing Inefficient before WWI? The Case of the Cotton Textile Industry, 1870-1910," Working Paper series 44_11, Rimini Centre for Economic Analysis.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity
    • N60 - Economic History - - Manufacturing and Construction - - - General, International, or Comparative

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