IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/jindec/v46y1998i2p257-279.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Computer Use and Productivity Growth in US Federal Government Agencies, 1987–92

Author

Listed:
  • William Lehr
  • Frank R. Lichtenberg

Abstract

We examine the impact of information technology (IT) on productivity in the public sector econometrically, using data from the BLS Federal Productivity Measurement Program and from Computer Intelligence Infocorp, and by interviewing some government officials. We estimate a production function for government services that includes IT capital as an input, and find a strong positive relationship across federal agencies between productivity growth and computer‐intensity growth during the period 1987–92, controlling for growth in compensation and other outlays per employee, and in the number of employees. Our estimates are consistent with the hypothesis that there are ‘excess returns’ to IT capital.

Suggested Citation

  • William Lehr & Frank R. Lichtenberg, 1998. "Computer Use and Productivity Growth in US Federal Government Agencies, 1987–92," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(2), pages 257-279, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jindec:v:46:y:1998:i:2:p:257-279
    DOI: 10.1111/1467-6451.00071
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6451.00071
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/1467-6451.00071?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Mirko Draca & Raffaella Sadun & John Van Reenen, 2006. "Productivity and ICT: A Review of the Evidence," CEP Discussion Papers dp0749, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    2. Weaver, Robert D. & Curtiss, Jarmila & Brümmer, Bernhard, 2005. "Technical Efficiency Effects of Technological Change: Another Perspective on GM Crops," 2005 International Congress, August 23-27, 2005, Copenhagen, Denmark 24528, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    3. ten Raa, Thijs & Wolff, Edward N., 2000. "Engines of growth in the US economy," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 11(4), pages 473-489, December.
    4. Franz Haider & Robert Kunst & Franz Wirl, 2021. "Total factor productivity, its components and drivers," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 48(2), pages 283-327, May.
    5. Pierre Biscourp & Bruno Crépon & Thomas Heckel & Nicolas Riedinger, 2003. "How do Firms Respond to Cheaper Computers ? Microeconometric Evidence for France Based on a Production Function," Working Papers 2003-05, Center for Research in Economics and Statistics.
    6. Liu, Ting-Kun & Chen, Jong-Rong & Huang, Cliff J. & Yang, Chih-Hai, 2014. "Revisiting the productivity paradox: A semiparametric smooth coefficient approach based on evidence from Taiwan," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 300-308.
    7. Radhakrishnan, Abirami & Zu, Xingxing & Grover, Varun, 2008. "A process-oriented perspective on differential business value creation by information technology: An empirical investigation," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 36(6), pages 1105-1125, December.
    8. Alexandru-Ioan Stan, 2018. "Computational speed and high-frequency trading profitability: an ecological perspective," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 28(3), pages 381-395, August.
    9. Y C Ng & M K Chang, 2003. "Impact of computerization on firm performance: a case of Shanghai manufacturing enterprises," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 54(10), pages 1029-1037, October.
    10. Stefan Schweikl & Robert Obermaier, 2020. "Lessons from three decades of IT productivity research: towards a better understanding of IT-induced productivity effects," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 70(4), pages 461-507, November.
    11. Indjikian, Rouben & Siegel, Donald S., 2005. "The Impact of Investment in IT on Economic Performance: Implications for Developing Countries," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 33(5), pages 681-700, May.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:jindec:v:46:y:1998:i:2:p:257-279. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0022-1821 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.