IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/scandj/v105y2003i1p87-98.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Embodied Technological Change, Learning‐by‐doing and the Productivity Slowdown

Author

Listed:
  • Raouf Boucekkine
  • Fernando Del Río
  • Omar Licandro

Abstract

The productivity slowdown in the US economy since the first oil shock has recently been associated with a larger decline rate of the relative price of equipment investment and a smaller rate of disembodied technical change. We set up a growth model in which learning‐by‐doing is the engine of both embodied and disembodied technological progress. A shift in the relative efficiency of learning‐by‐doing from the consumption to the investment sector is shown to imply a technological reassignment consistent with the above‐mentioned evidence. This result derives from the interaction between the obsolescence costs inherent in embodiment and the learning‐by‐doing engine.

Suggested Citation

  • Raouf Boucekkine & Fernando Del Río & Omar Licandro, 2003. "Embodied Technological Change, Learning‐by‐doing and the Productivity Slowdown," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 105(1), pages 87-98, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:scandj:v:105:y:2003:i:1:p:87-98
    DOI: 10.1111/1467-9442.00006
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9442.00006
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/1467-9442.00006?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
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Romer, Paul M, 1986. "Increasing Returns and Long-run Growth," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 94(5), pages 1002-1037, October.
    2. Edmund S. Phelps, 1962. "The New View of Investment: A Neoclassical Analysis," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 76(4), pages 548-567.
    3. Raouf Boucekkine & Fernando del Río & Omar Licandro, "undated". "The importance of the embodied question revisited," Working Papers 99-13, FEDEA.
    4. Hercowitz, Zvi, 1998. "The 'embodiment' controversy: A review essay," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(1), pages 217-224, February.
    5. K. J. Arrow, 1971. "The Economic Implications of Learning by Doing," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: F. H. Hahn (ed.), Readings in the Theory of Growth, chapter 11, pages 131-149, Palgrave Macmillan.
    6. Christian Du Tertre, 1999. "Intangible and Interpersonal Services: Toward New Political Economy Tools. The French Case," The Service Industries Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(1), pages 18-34, January.
    7. Andreas Hornstein & Per Krusell, 1996. "Can Technology Improvements Cause Productivity Slowdowns?," NBER Chapters, in: NBER Macroeconomics Annual 1996, Volume 11, pages 209-276, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. David, Paul A, 1990. "The Dynamo and the Computer: An Historical Perspective on the Modern Productivity Paradox," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 80(2), pages 355-361, May.
    9. Krusell, Per, 1998. "Investment-Specific R&D and the Decline in the Relative Price of Capital," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 3(2), pages 131-141, June.
    10. Greenwood, Jeremy & Hercowitz, Zvi & Krusell, Per, 1997. "Long-Run Implications of Investment-Specific Technological Change," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 87(3), pages 342-362, June.
    11. Hsieh, Chang-Tai, 2001. "Endogenous growth and obsolescence," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(1), pages 153-171, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Raouf Boucekkine & Fernando del Río & Omar Licandro, "undated". "The importance of the embodied question revisited," Working Papers 99-13, FEDEA.
    2. Boucekkine, Raouf & del Rio, Fernando & Licandro, Omar, 2005. "Obsolescence and modernization in the growth process," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(1), pages 153-171, June.
    3. Groth, Christian & Wendner, Ronald, 2011. "Learning by investing, embodiment, and speed of convergence," MPRA Paper 29008, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Groth, Christian & Wendner, Ronald, 2014. "Embodied learning by investing and speed of convergence," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 245-269.
    5. Bianco, Dominique, 2007. "An Endogenous Growth Model with Embodied Technical Change without Scale Effects," MPRA Paper 6571, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 04 Jan 2008.
    6. Boucekkine, Raouf & de la Croix, David, 2003. "Information technologies, embodiment and growth," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 27(11-12), pages 2007-2034, September.
    7. repec:grz:wpaper:2012-04 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Aghion, Philippe & Akcigit, Ufuk & Howitt, Peter, 2014. "What Do We Learn From Schumpeterian Growth Theory?," Handbook of Economic Growth, in: Philippe Aghion & Steven Durlauf (ed.), Handbook of Economic Growth, edition 1, volume 2, chapter 0, pages 515-563, Elsevier.
    9. Fabrice Collard & Omar Licandro, 2020. "The neoclassical model and the welfare costs of selection," Discussion Papers 2020/03, University of Nottingham, Centre for Finance, Credit and Macroeconomics (CFCM).
    10. Lennox, James A. & Witajewski-Baltvilks, Jan, 2017. "Directed technical change with capital-embodied technologies: Implications for climate policy," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 400-409.
    11. Raouf Boucekkine & Fernando del Río & Omar Licandro, "undated". "Obsolescence Vs modernization in a Schumpeterian vintage capital model," Working Papers 2000-27, FEDEA.
    12. Raouf Boucekkine & David de la Croix & Yiannis Vailakis, 2002. "Technological Shocks and IT Revolutions," Recherches économiques de Louvain, De Boeck Université, vol. 68(1), pages 75-89.
    13. Diego Martínez, y José L. Torres & Jesús Rodríguez-López & José L. Torres, 2008. "Productivity growth and technological change in Europe and us," Economic Working Papers at Centro de Estudios Andaluces E2008/12, Centro de Estudios Andaluces.
    14. Xavier Sala-i-Martin, 1990. "Lecture Notes on Economic Growth(I): Introduction to the Literature and Neoclassical Models," NBER Working Papers 3563, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    15. Eva, MORENO-GALBIS, 2004. "Unemployment and Endogenous Growth with Capital-Skill Complementarity," LIDAM Discussion Papers IRES 2004001, Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES).
    16. Plutarchos Sakellaris & Daniel J. Wilson, 2004. "Quantifying Embodied Technological Change," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 7(1), pages 1-26, January.
    17. UCHIDA Ichihiro & TAKEDA Yosuke & SHIRAI Daichi, 2012. "Technology and Capital Adjustment Costs: Micro evidence of automobile electronics in the auto-parts suppliers," Discussion papers 12001, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    18. Mauro Napoletano & Andrea Roventini & Sandro Sapio, 2004. "Yeast vs. Mushrooms: A Note on Harberger's "A Vision of the Growth Process"," LEM Papers Series 2004/03, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
    19. Diego Romero-Ávila, 2013. "Is Physical Investment The Key To China'S Growth Miracle?," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 51(4), pages 1948-1971, October.
    20. Gabriele Pellegrino & Mariacristina Piva & Marco Vivarelli, 2015. "How do new entrepreneurs innovate?," Economia e Politica Industriale: Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, Springer;Associazione Amici di Economia e Politica Industriale, vol. 42(3), pages 323-341, September.
    21. Felbermayr Gabriel J & Licandro Omar, 2005. "The Underestimated Virtues of the Two-sector AK Model," The B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics, De Gruyter, vol. 5(1), pages 1-19, September.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E22 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Investment; Capital; Intangible Capital; Capacity
    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • O40 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - General
    • C63 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Mathematical Methods; Programming Models; Mathematical and Simulation Modeling - - - Computational Techniques

    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:scandj:v:105:y:2003:i:1:p:87-98. 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.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with 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://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1467-9442 .

    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.