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Comparative Productivity: The USSR, Eastern Europe, and the West

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  • Bergson, Abram

Abstract

This paper compiles comparative measures of output per worker in 1975 in four socialist and seven Western market economy (WME) countries, and explores sources of observed differences between the two groups of countries in that regard. Such differences seem explicable only partially by reference to differences in per worker capital stock and farm land. A residual disparity of 25 to 34 percent in favor of WME countries appears to testify to superior efficiency in the latter. Copyright 1987 by American Economic Association.

Suggested Citation

  • Bergson, Abram, 1987. "Comparative Productivity: The USSR, Eastern Europe, and the West," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 77(3), pages 342-357, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aecrev:v:77:y:1987:i:3:p:342-57
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    Cited by:

    1. Bayarsaihan, T. & Coelli, T. J., 2003. "Productivity growth in pre-1990 Mongolian agriculture: spiralling disaster or emerging success?," Agricultural Economics, Blackwell, vol. 28(2), pages 121-137, March.
    2. Kim, Byung-Yeon, 2000. "Causes of repressed inflation in the Soviet consumer market: Retail price subsidies, the sihponing effect and the budget deficit," BOFIT Discussion Papers 9/2000, Bank of Finland Institute for Emerging Economies (BOFIT).
    3. Alberto Chilosi, 2014. "The Economic System as an End or as a Means, and the Future of Socialism: An Evolutionary Viewpoint," Palgrave Studies in the History of Economic Thought, in: Riccardo Bellofiore & Ewa Karwowski & Jan Toporowski (ed.), Economic Crisis and Political Economy, chapter 1, pages 10-28, Palgrave Macmillan.
    4. Tamás Vonyó & Alexander Klein, 2019. "Why did socialist economies fail? The role of factor inputs reconsidered," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 72(1), pages 317-345, February.
    5. repec:dgr:rugsom:00c01 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Ark, Bart van, 2000. "Economic growth and labour productivity in Europe: half a century of East-West comparisons," Research Report 00C01, University of Groningen, Research Institute SOM (Systems, Organisations and Management).
    7. Kim, Byung-Yeon & Kim, Suk Jin & Lee, Keun, 2007. "Assessing the economic performance of North Korea, 1954-1989: Estimates and growth accounting analysis," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 35(3), pages 564-582, September.
    8. Heitger, Bernhard, 2001. "The Scope of Government and its Impact on Economic Growth in OECD Countries," Kiel Working Papers 1034, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    9. Peter Hooper & Kathryn A. Larin, 1988. "International comparisons of labor costs in manufacturing," International Finance Discussion Papers 330, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    10. Peter Drysdale & Yiping Huang, 1997. "Technological Catch‐Up and Economic Growth in East Asia and the Pacific," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 73(222), pages 201-211, September.
    11. Herbert Brücker & Wolfram Schrettl, 1996. "Transformation, Investitionen und Wachstum: eine theoretische Perspektive," Vierteljahrshefte zur Wirtschaftsforschung / Quarterly Journal of Economic Research, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research, vol. 65(1), pages 5-13.
    12. Ron Moomaw & Lee Adkins, 2007. "Regional Technical Efficiency in Europe," Economics Working Paper Series 0709, Oklahoma State University, Department of Economics and Legal Studies in Business.
    13. repec:dgr:rugggd:199941 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Lee C. Adkins & Ronald L. Moomaw & Andreas Savvides, 2002. "Institutions, Freedom, and Technical Efficiency," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 69(1), pages 92-108, July.
    15. Abram Bergson, 1991. "The USSR before the Fall: How Poor and Why," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 5(4), pages 29-44, Fall.
    16. Rutkowski, Michael, 1995. "Workers in transition," Policy Research Working Paper Series 1556, The World Bank.
    17. Laurent Weill, 2008. "On the inefficiency of European socialist economies," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 29(2), pages 79-89, April.
    18. Ark, Bart van, 1999. "Economic growth and labour productivity in Europe : half a century of east-west comparisons," GGDC Research Memorandum 199941, Groningen Growth and Development Centre, University of Groningen.
    19. Ann Hipp & Björn Jindra & Kehinde Medase, 2023. "Nothing new in the East? New evidence on productivity effects of inventions in the GDR," Bremen Papers on Economics & Innovation 2301, University of Bremen, Faculty of Business Studies and Economics.
    20. Leonard Kukić, 2021. "The Nature Of Technological Failure: Patterns Of Biased Technical Change In Socialist Europe," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(3), pages 895-925, July.
    21. Ilya B. Voskoboynikov, 2023. "Sources of productivity growth in Eastern Europe and Russia before the global financial crisis," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 59(3), pages 225-241, June.

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