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CAN INVESTMENT IN INTANGIBLES EXPLAIN THE SWEDISH PRODUCTIVITY BOOM IN THE 1990s?

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  • HARALD EDQUIST

Abstract

After a severe crisis in the early 1990s, the Swedish economy experienced a boom in productivity growth. According to economists there have been primarily three explanations for the fast productivity growth in 1995–2004: Market reforms, recovery from the crisis and the impact of information and communication technology (ICT). This paper offers an alternative view by recognizing that firms make substantial investment in intangible assets such as R&D, design, advertising etc. These investments are not classified as investment in the National Accounts, where only tangible assets are defined as investment. This paper provides estimates of investment in intangible assets and uses the growth accounting framework to analyze the Swedish productivity boom. The results show that investment in intangibles was approximately 246 bn SEK in 2004 or 9 percent of GDP. Moreover, intangible capital accounted for almost 50 percent of labor productivity growth in the Swedish business sector 1995–2004. Thus, investment in intangibles was an important source to the Swedish productivity boom in 1995–2004.
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Suggested Citation

  • Harald Edquist, 2011. "CAN INVESTMENT IN INTANGIBLES EXPLAIN THE SWEDISH PRODUCTIVITY BOOM IN THE 1990s?," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 57(4), pages 658-682, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:revinw:v:57:y:2011:i:4:p:658-682
    DOI: j.1475-4991.2010.00436.x
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    Cited by:

    1. Schubert, Torben & Jäger, Angela & Türkeli, Serdar & Visentin, Fabiana, 2020. "Addressing the productivity paradox with big data: A literature review and adaptation of the CDM econometric model," MERIT Working Papers 2020-050, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    2. Dutz, Mark A. & Kannebley, Sergio Jr. & Scarpelli, Maira & Sharma, Siddharth, 2012. "Measuring intangible assets in an emerging market economy: an application to Brazil," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6142, The World Bank.
    3. Felix Roth, 2022. "The Productivity Puzzle: A Critical Assessment and an Outlook on the COVID-19 Crisis," Contributions to Economics, in: Intangible Capital and Growth, chapter 0, pages 1-16, Springer.
    4. Edquist, Harald & Henrekson, Magnus, 2017. "Swedish lessons: How important are ICT and R&D to economic growth?," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 1-12.
    5. Roth, Felix & Sen, Ali & Rammer, Christian, 2021. "Intangible Capital and Firm-Level Productivity – Evidence from Germany," Hamburg Discussion Papers in International Economics 9, University of Hamburg, Department of Economics.
    6. Edquist, Harald & Henrekson, Magnus, 2017. "Do R&D and ICT affect total factor productivity growth differently?," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(2), pages 106-119.
    7. Edquist, Harald, 2011. "Intangible Investment and the Swedish Manufacturing and Service Sector Paradox," Working Paper Series 863, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    8. Pardo Martínez, Clara Inés, 2013. "An analysis of eco-efficiency in energy use and CO2 emissions in the Swedish service industries," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 47(2), pages 120-130.
    9. Szalavetz, Andrea, 2011. "Innovációvezérelt növekedés? [Innovation-driven growth?]," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(5), pages 460-476.
    10. Felix Roth & Anna-Elisabeth Thum, 2022. "Intangible Capital and Labor Productivity Growth: Panel Evidence for the EU from 1998–2005," Contributions to Economics, in: Intangible Capital and Growth, chapter 0, pages 101-128, Springer.
    11. Felix Roth, 2022. "Revisiting Intangible Capital and Labor Productivity Growth, 2000–2015: Accounting for the Crisis and Economic Recovery in the EU," Contributions to Economics, in: Intangible Capital and Growth, chapter 0, pages 17-42, Springer.
    12. Hyunbae Chun & M. Ishaq Nadiri, 2016. "Intangible Investment and Changing Sources of Growth in Korea," The Japanese Economic Review, Japanese Economic Association, vol. 67(1), pages 50-76, March.
    13. Antonin Bergeaud & Gilbert Cette & Rémy Lecat, 2016. "Productivity Trends in Advanced Countries between 1890 and 2012," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 62(3), pages 420-444, September.
    14. Barajas, Angel & Shakina, Elena & Fernández-Jardón, Carlos, 2017. "Acceleration effect of intangibles in the recovery of corporate performance after-crisis," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 1115-1122.
    15. MORIKAWA Masayuki, 2012. "Financial Constraints in Intangible Investments: Evidence from Japanese firms," Discussion papers 12045, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    16. Artem A. Eremin, 2014. "The Effect of Advertising on Economic Growth in the USA from a New Methodological Perspective," Economic Studies journal, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences - Economic Research Institute, issue 4, pages 3-14.
    17. Magnus Lodefalk, 2014. "The role of services for manufacturing firm exports," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 150(1), pages 59-82, February.
    18. Wen Chen, 2018. "Cross‐Country Income Differences Revisited: Accounting for the Role of Intangible Capital," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 64(3), pages 626-648, September.
    19. Martin Falk, 2013. "New Empirical Findings for International Investment in Intangible Assets. WWWforEurope Working Paper No. 30," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 46891.
    20. Roth, Felix & Sen, Ali, 2021. "Intangible Capital and Labor Productivity Growth: Revisiting the Evidence," Hamburg Discussion Papers in International Economics 10, University of Hamburg, Department of Economics.
    21. Edquist, Harald & Henrekson, Magnus, 2013. "Product Market Reforms and Incentives to Innovate in Sweden," Working Paper Series 986, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    22. Lars Calmfors, 2012. "Sweden - from Macroeconomic Failure to Macroeconomic Success," CESifo Working Paper Series 3790, CESifo.
    23. Roth, Felix, 2019. "Intangible Capital and Labour Productivity Growth: A Review of the Literature," Hamburg Discussion Papers in International Economics 4, University of Hamburg, Department of Economics.
    24. Roth, Felix, 2022. "Intangible Capital and Labor Productivity Growth – Revisiting the Evidence: An Update," Hamburg Discussion Papers in International Economics 11, University of Hamburg, Department of Economics.
    25. Crass, Dirk & Licht, Georg & Peters, Bettina, 2014. "Intangible assets and investments at the sector level: Empirical evidence for Germany," ZEW Discussion Papers 14-049, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • O16 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Financial Markets; Saving and Capital Investment; Corporate Finance and Governance
    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence
    • O52 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Europe

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