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On the causes of economic growth in Europe: why did agricultural labour productivity not converge between 1950 and 2005?

Author

Listed:
  • Miguel Martin-Retortillo

    (Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain)

  • Vicente Pinilla

    (Universidad Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain)

Abstract

The objective of this study is to make a further contribution to the debate on the causes of economic growth in the European Continent. It explains why agricultural labour productivity differences did not converge between 1950 and 2005 in Europe. We propose an econometric model, one combining both proximate and fundamental causes of economic growth. The results show that the continuous exit of labour power from the sector, coupled with the increased use of productive factors originating in other sectors of the economy, caused the efficiency of agricultural workers to rise. However, we offer a complete explanation of the role played by institutions and geographical factors. Thus, we detect a direct and inverse relation between membership of the EU and the Communist bloc and the productivity of agricultural labour. In addition, strong support for agriculture affected productivity negatively.

Suggested Citation

  • Miguel Martin-Retortillo & Vicente Pinilla, 2015. "On the causes of economic growth in Europe: why did agricultural labour productivity not converge between 1950 and 2005?," Cliometrica, Journal of Historical Economics and Econometric History, Association Française de Cliométrie (AFC), vol. 9(3), pages 359-396, september.
    • Handle: RePEc:afc:cliome:v:9:y:2015:i:3:p:359-396
    DOI: 10.1007/s11698-014-0119-5
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Duarte, Rosa & Pinilla, Vicente & Serrano, Ana, 2019. "Long Term Drivers of Global Virtual Water Trade: A Trade Gravity Approach for 1965–2010," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 318-326.
    2. Yok-Yong Lee & Kim-Leng Goh, 2023. "The Happiness-Economic Well-Being Nexus: New Insights From Global Panel Data," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(4), pages 21582440231, October.
    3. Miguel Martín-Retortillo & Vicente Pinilla, 2019. "The fundamental causes of economic growth: a comparative analysis of the total factor productivity growth of European agriculture, 1950-2005," Documentos de Trabajo (DT-AEHE) 1912, Asociación Española de Historia Económica.
    4. Bazyli Czyżewski & Andrzej Czyżewski & Łukasz Kryszak, 2019. "The Market Treadmill Against Sustainable Income of European Farmers: How the CAP Has Struggled with Cochrane’s Curse," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-16, February.
    5. Giannakis, Elias & Bruggeman, Adriana, 2018. "Exploring the labour productivity of agricultural systems across European regions: A multilevel approach," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 94-106.
    6. Elena Calegari & Enrico Fabrizi & Gianni Guastella & Francesco Timpano, 2021. "EU regional convergence in the agricultural sector: Are there synergies between agricultural and regional policies?," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 100(1), pages 23-50, February.
    7. Gomes, Eduardo & Abrantes, Patrícia & Banos, Arnaud & Rocha, Jorge, 2019. "Modelling future land use scenarios based on farmers’ intentions and a cellular automata approach," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 142-154.
    8. Xiaowei Xing & Qingfeng Zhang & Azhong Ye & Guanghui Zeng, 2023. "Mechanism and Empirical Test of the Impact of Consumption Upgrading on Agricultural Green Total Factor Productivity in China," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-17, January.
    9. Isabel Dinis, 2023. "Exploring the Drivers of Microregional Agricultural Labor Productivity: Empirical Insights from Portugal," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-19, November.
    10. Chivu, Luminita & Andrei, Jean Vasile & Zaharia, Marian & Gogonea, Rodica-Manuela, 2020. "A regional agricultural efficiency convergence assessment in Romania – Appraising differences and understanding potentials," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Agricultural labour productivity European agriculture European economic history Causes of economic growth;

    JEL classification:

    • N50 - Economic History - - Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment and Extractive Industries - - - General, International, or Comparative
    • N54 - Economic History - - Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment and Extractive Industries - - - Europe: 1913-
    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • Q10 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - General

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