IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/streco/v58y2021icp325-360.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

On the adjustment of capacity utilisation to aggregate demand: Revisiting an old Sraffian critique to the Neo-Kaleckian model

Author

Listed:
  • Gahn, Santiago José

Abstract

For many years, there was an unanswered theoretical question among Post-Keynesian scholars: What’s the behaviour through time of capacity utilisation after an aggregate demand shock? Under a (baseline and extended) Neo-Kaleckian framework, there should be a persistent effect on capacity utilisation to a shock like this one. On the other hand, Classical-Keynesian scholars are inclined to emphasise a continuous tendency towards normal utilisation. I tried to shed some light on this issue by adopting a Panel Structural VAR, time series SVAR and Local Projections. My findings, based on national quarterly data for 34 countries, suggest that the nature of the effects on effective capacity utilisation of shocks to the level of economic activity is merely transitory.

Suggested Citation

  • Gahn, Santiago José, 2021. "On the adjustment of capacity utilisation to aggregate demand: Revisiting an old Sraffian critique to the Neo-Kaleckian model," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 325-360.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:streco:v:58:y:2021:i:c:p:325-360
    DOI: 10.1016/j.strueco.2021.06.009
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0954349X21000722
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.strueco.2021.06.009?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
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kennedy, James E., 1998. "An Analysis of Time-Series Estimates of Capacity Utilization," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 169-187, January.
    2. Blanchard, Olivier Jean & Quah, Danny, 1989. "The Dynamic Effects of Aggregate Demand and Supply Disturbances," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 79(4), pages 655-673, September.
    3. Daniele Girardi & Riccardo Pariboni, 2019. "Normal utilization as the adjusting variable in Neo‐Kaleckian growth models: A critique," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 70(2), pages 341-358, May.
    4. Marc Lavoie & Gabriel Rodriguez & Mario Seccareccia, 2004. "Similitudes and Discrepancies in Post-Keynesian and Marxist Theories of Investment: A Theoretical and Empirical Investigation," International Review of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(2), pages 127-149.
    5. Heinrich Bortis, 1984. "Employment in a Capitalist Economy," Journal of Post Keynesian Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 6(4), pages 590-604, July.
    6. Olivier Allain, 2015. "Tackling the instability of growth: a Kaleckian-Harrodian model with an autonomous expenditure component," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 39(5), pages 1351-1371.
    7. Nadiri, M Ishaq & Rosen, Sherwin, 1969. "Interrelated Factor Demand Functions," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 59(4), pages 457-471, Part I Se.
    8. Lavoie, Marc, 1995. "The Kaleckian Model of Growth and Distribution and Its Neo-Ricardian and Neo-Marxian Critiques," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 19(6), pages 789-818, December.
    9. Marc Lavoie, 1996. "Traverse, Hysteresis, and Normal Rates of Capacity Utilization in Kaleckian Models of Growth and Distribution," Review of Radical Political Economics, Union for Radical Political Economics, vol. 28(4), pages 113-147, December.
    10. Christian Schoder, 2014. "Effective Demand, Exogenous Normal Utilization and Endogenous Capacity in the Long Run: Evidence from a Cointegrated Vector Autoregression Analysis for the USA," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 65(2), pages 298-320, May.
    11. Santiago José Gahn, 2020. "Is There a Declining Trend in Capacity Utilization in the US Economy? A Technical Note," Review of Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(2), pages 283-296, April.
    12. Peter Pedroni, 2013. "Structural Panel VARs," Econometrics, MDPI, vol. 1(2), pages 1-27, September.
    13. Ettore Gallo & Maria Cristina Barbieri Góes, 2023. "Investment, autonomous demand and long-run capacity utilization: an empirical test for the Euro Area," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 40(1), pages 225-255, April.
    14. Peter Skott, 2012. "Theoretical And Empirical Shortcomings Of The Kaleckian Investment Function," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 63(1), pages 109-138, February.
    15. Attilio Trezzini & Antonella Palumbo, 2016. "The theory of output in the modern classical approach: main principles and controversial issues," Review of Keynesian Economics, Edward Elgar Publishing, vol. 4(4), pages 503-522, October.
    16. Michalis Nikiforos, 2016. "On the ‘utilisation controversy’: a theoretical and empirical discussion of the Kaleckian model of growth and distribution," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 40(2), pages 437-467.
    17. Edward Amadeo, 1987. "Expectations in a steady state model of capacity utilization," Textos para discussão 169, Department of Economics PUC-Rio (Brazil).
    18. Trezzini, Attilio, 2017. "Harrodian Instability: a Misleading Concept," Centro Sraffa Working Papers CSWP24, Centro di Ricerche e Documentazione "Piero Sraffa".
    19. Bernanke, Ben S., 1986. "Alternative explanations of the money-income correlation," Carnegie-Rochester Conference Series on Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 25(1), pages 49-99, January.
    20. Ciaran Driver & David Shepherd, 2005. "Capacity utilisation and corporate restructuring: a comparative study of the US, UK and other EU countries," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 29(1), pages 119-140, January.
    21. Richard H. Clarida & Jordi Gali, 1994. "Sources of real exchange rate fluctuations: how important are nominal shocks?," Proceedings, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, issue Apr.
    22. Roberto Ciccone, 2012. "Pierangelo Garegnani: Rebuilding Economic Theory," PSL Quarterly Review, Economia civile, vol. 65(262), pages 311-331.
    23. Peter Skott, 2019. "Autonomous demand, Harrodian instability and the supply side," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 70(2), pages 233-246, May.
    24. Cynthia Bansak & Norman Morin & Martha Starr, 2007. "Technology, Capital Spending, And Capacity Utilization," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 45(3), pages 631-645, July.
    25. Michalis Nikiforos, 2018. "Some comments on the Sraffian Supermultiplier approach to growth and distribution," Journal of Post Keynesian Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(4), pages 659-675, October.
    26. Skott,Peter, 2008. "Conflict and Effective Demand in Economic Growth," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521066310, September.
    27. Sergio Cesaratto, 2015. "Neo-Kaleckian and Sraffian Controversies on the Theory of Accumulation," Review of Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(2), pages 154-182, April.
    28. Man-Seop Park, 1997. "Normal Values and Average Values," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(2), pages 188-199, June.
    29. Marc Lavoie, 2016. "Convergence Towards the Normal Rate of Capacity Utilization in Neo-Kaleckian Models: The Role of Non-Capacity Creating Autonomous Expenditures," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 67(1), pages 172-201, February.
    30. Olivier Allain, 2019. "Demographic growth, Harrodian (in)stability and the supermultiplier," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 43(1), pages 85-106.
    31. Olivier Allain, 2013. "Tackling the instability of growth: A Kaleckian model with autonomous demand expenditures," Université Paris1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Post-Print and Working Papers) halshs-00821080, HAL.
    32. Fabio Freitas & Franklin Serrano, 2015. "Growth Rate and Level Effects, the Stability of the Adjustment of Capacity to Demand and the Sraffian Supermultiplier," Review of Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(3), pages 258-281, July.
    33. Mario Cassetti, 2006. "A note on the long-run behaviour of Kaleckian models," Review of Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(4), pages 497-508.
    34. Magnus Blomström & Robert E. Lipsey & Mario Zejan, 1996. "Is Fixed Investment the Key to Economic Growth?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 111(1), pages 269-276.
    35. Won Jun Nah & Marc Lavoie, 2017. "Long-run convergence in a neo-Kaleckian open-economy model with autonomous export growth," Journal of Post Keynesian Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(2), pages 223-238, April.
    36. Riccardo Pariboni, 2016. "Autonomous demand and the Marglin–Bhaduri model: a critical note," Review of Keynesian Economics, Edward Elgar Publishing, vol. 4(4), pages 409-428, October.
    37. Arestis, Philip, 1996. "Post-Keynesian Economics: Towards Coherence," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 20(1), pages 111-135, January.
    38. Nelson, Charles R. & Plosser, Charles I., 1982. "Trends and random walks in macroeconmic time series : Some evidence and implications," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 10(2), pages 139-162.
    39. Marc Lavoie, 2010. "Surveying Short-run and Long-run Stability Issues with the Kaleckian Model of Growth," Chapters, in: Mark Setterfield (ed.), Handbook of Alternative Theories of Economic Growth, chapter 6, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    40. Amitava Krishna Dult, 1987. "Competition, Monopoly Power and the Uniform Rate of Profit," Review of Radical Political Economics, Union for Radical Political Economics, vol. 19(4), pages 55-72, December.
    41. Christian Schoder, 2012. "Hysteresis In The Kaleckian Growth Model: A Bayesian Analysis For The Us Manufacturing Sector From 1984 To 2007," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 63(3), pages 542-568, July.
    42. Christopher A. Sims, 1986. "Are forecasting models usable for policy analysis?," Quarterly Review, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, vol. 10(Win), pages 2-16.
    43. Richard A. Ashley & Randal J. Verbrugge, 2009. "To difference or not to difference: a Monte Carlo investigation of inference in vector autoregression models," International Journal of Data Analysis Techniques and Strategies, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 1(3), pages 242-274.
    44. Daniele Girardi & Riccardo Pariboni, 2020. "Autonomous demand and the investment share: Online appendices," Review of Keynesian Economics, Edward Elgar Publishing, vol. 8(3), pages 1-14, July.
    45. Amitava Krishna Dutt, 2019. "Some observations on models of growth and distribution with autonomous demand growth," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 70(2), pages 288-301, May.
    46. Serrano, Franklin, 1995. "Long Period Effective Demand and the Sraffian Supermultiplier," Contributions to Political Economy, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 14(0), pages 67-90.
    47. Taylor, Lance, 1985. "A Stagnationist Model of Economic Growth," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 9(4), pages 383-403, December.
    48. Daniele Girardi & Riccardo Pariboni, 2020. "Autonomous demand and the investment share," Review of Keynesian Economics, Edward Elgar Publishing, vol. 8(3), pages 428-453, July.
    49. Sims, Christopher A & Stock, James H & Watson, Mark W, 1990. "Inference in Linear Time Series Models with Some Unit Roots," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 58(1), pages 113-144, January.
    50. Franklin Serrano & Fabio Freitas, 2017. "The Sraffian supermultiplier as an alternative closure for heterodox growth theory," European Journal of Economics and Economic Policies: Intervention, Edward Elgar Publishing, vol. 14(1), pages 70-91, April.
    51. Marc Lavoie, 1992. "Foundations of Post-Keynesian Economic Analysis," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 275.
    52. Dutt, Amitava Krishna, 1984. "Stagnation, Income Distribution and Monopoly Power," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 8(1), pages 25-40, March.
    53. Kilian,Lutz & Lütkepohl,Helmut, 2018. "Structural Vector Autoregressive Analysis," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781107196575, September.
    54. Attilio Trezzini, 2013. "The Meaning of Output Trends in the Analysis of Growth," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Enrico Sergio Levrero & Antonella Palumbo & Antonella Stirati (ed.), Sraffa and the Reconstruction of Economic Theory: Volume Two, chapter 3, pages 68-91, Palgrave Macmillan.
    55. Michalis Nikiforos, 2018. "Some Comments on the Sraffian Supermultiplier Approach to Growth and Distribution," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_907, Levy Economics Institute.
    56. Trezzini, Attilio, 1995. "Capacity Utilisation in the Long Run and the Autonomous Components of Aggregate Demand," Contributions to Political Economy, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 14(0), pages 33-66.
    57. Matthew D. Shapiro, 1989. "Assessing the Federal Reserve's Measures of Capacity and Utilization," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 20(1), pages 181-242.
    58. Sergio Cesaratto & Franklin Serrano & Antonella Stirati, 2003. "Technical Change, Effective Demand and Employment," Review of Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(1), pages 33-52.
    59. Edward J. Amadeo, 1986. "Notes On Capacity Utilisation, Distribution And Accumulation," Contributions to Political Economy, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 5(1), pages 83-94.
    60. Ferdinando Vianello, 1989. "Effective Demand and the Rate of Profits: Some Thoughts on Marx, Kalecki and Sraffa," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Mario Sebastiani (ed.), Kalecki’s Relevance Today, chapter 10, pages 164-190, Palgrave Macmillan.
    61. Manuel Arellano & Stephen Bond, 1991. "Some Tests of Specification for Panel Data: Monte Carlo Evidence and an Application to Employment Equations," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 58(2), pages 277-297.
    62. Ciaran Driver, 2000. "Capacity Utilisation and Excess Capacity: Theory, Evidence, and Policy," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 16(1), pages 69-87, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

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


    Cited by:

    1. Santiago J. Gahn, 2022. "Towards an explanation of a declining trend in capacity utilisation in the US economy," Working Papers PKWP2214, Post Keynesian Economics Society (PKES).
    2. Dögüs, Ilhan, 2021. "Production structure, output and profits - A note," ZÖSS-Discussion Papers 88, University of Hamburg, Centre for Economic and Sociological Studies (CESS/ZÖSS).
    3. Morlin, Guilherme Spinato, 2022. "Growth led by government expenditure and exports: Public and external debt stability in a supermultiplier model," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 586-598.
    4. Stephen Thompson, 2022. "“The total movement of this disorder is its order”: Investment and utilization dynamics in long‐run disequilibrium," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 73(2), pages 638-682, May.
    5. Dvoskin, Ariel & Torchinsky Landau, Matías, 2023. "Income distribution and economic cycles in an open-economy supermultiplier model," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 273-291.
    6. Barbieri Góes, Maria Cristina & Deleidi, Matteo, 2022. "Output determination and autonomous demand multipliers: An empirical investigation for the US economy," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).

    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. Santiago José Gahn & Alejandro González, 2022. "On the empirical content of the convergence debate: Cross‐country evidence on growth and capacity utilisation," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 73(3), pages 825-855, July.
    2. Eckhard Hein, 2019. "Harrodian instability in Kaleckian models and Steindlian solutions," FMM Working Paper 46-2019, IMK at the Hans Boeckler Foundation, Macroeconomic Policy Institute.
    3. Lorenzo Di Domenico, 2021. "Multiplicity and not necessarily heterogeneity: implications for the long-run degree of capacity utilization," Working Papers PKWP2116, Post Keynesian Economics Society (PKES).
    4. Eckhard Hein & Ryan Woodgate, 2021. "Stability issues in Kaleckian models driven by autonomous demand growth—Harrodian instability and debt dynamics," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 72(2), pages 388-404, May.
    5. Daniele Girardi & Riccardo Pariboni, 2019. "Normal utilization as the adjusting variable in Neo‐Kaleckian growth models: A critique," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 70(2), pages 341-358, May.
    6. Ettore Gallo & Maria Cristina Barbieri Góes, 2023. "Investment, autonomous demand and long-run capacity utilization: an empirical test for the Euro Area," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 40(1), pages 225-255, April.
    7. Allain, Olivier, 2022. "A supermultiplier model with two non-capacity-generating semi-autonomous demand components," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 91-103.
    8. Pariboni, Riccardo & Girardi, Daniele, 2018. "A(nother) Note on the Inconsistency of Neo-Kaleckian Growth Models," Centro Sraffa Working Papers CSWP31, Centro di Ricerche e Documentazione "Piero Sraffa".
    9. Guilherme Spinato Morlin & Nikolas Passos & Riccardo Pariboni, 2024. "Growth Theory and the Growth Model Perspective: Insights from the Supermultiplier," Review of Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(3), pages 1130-1155, July.
    10. Santiago J. Gahn, 2022. "Towards an explanation of a declining trend in capacity utilisation in the US economy," Working Papers PKWP2214, Post Keynesian Economics Society (PKES).
    11. Barbieri Góes, Maria Cristina & Deleidi, Matteo, 2022. "Output determination and autonomous demand multipliers: An empirical investigation for the US economy," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    12. Eckhard Hein & Valeria Jimenez, 2022. "The macroeconomic implications of zero growth: a post-Keynesian approach," European Journal of Economics and Economic Policies: Intervention, Edward Elgar Publishing, vol. 19(1), pages 41-60, April.
    13. José A. Pérez‐Montiel & Carles Manera, 2022. "Is autonomous demand really autonomous in the United States? An asymmetric frequency‐domain Granger causality approach," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 73(1), pages 78-92, February.
    14. Di Bucchianico, Stefano, 2021. "Inequality, household debt, ageing and bubbles: A model of demand-side Secular Stagnation," IPE Working Papers 160/2021, Berlin School of Economics and Law, Institute for International Political Economy (IPE).
    15. Mark Setterfield & Joana David Avritzer, 2020. "Hysteresis in the normal rate of capacity utilization: A behavioral explanation," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 71(4), pages 898-919, November.
    16. Steven M Fazzari & Piero Ferri & Anna Maria Variato, 2020. "Demand-led growth and accommodating supply," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 44(3), pages 583-605.
    17. Peter Skott & Júlio Fernando Costa Santos & José Luís da Costa Oreiro, 2022. "Supermultipliers, ‘endogenous autonomous demand’ and functional finance," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 73(1), pages 220-244, February.
    18. Guilherme Haluska & Julia Braga & Ricardo Summa, 2021. "Growth, investment share and the stability of the Sraffian Supermultiplier model in the U.S. economy (1985–2017)," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 72(2), pages 345-364, May.
    19. Marc Lavoie, 2016. "Convergence Towards the Normal Rate of Capacity Utilization in Neo-Kaleckian Models: The Role of Non-Capacity Creating Autonomous Expenditures," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 67(1), pages 172-201, February.
    20. Eckhard Hein, 2017. "Post-Keynesian macroeconomics since the mid 1990s: main developments," European Journal of Economics and Economic Policies: Intervention, Edward Elgar Publishing, vol. 14(2), pages 131-172, September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Capacity utilisation; Growth; Income distribution; Neo-Kaleckian model; Sraffian supermultiplier; Structural VAR analysis; Local projections;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B50 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Current Heterodox Approaches - - - General
    • E11 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General Aggregative Models - - - Marxian; Sraffian; Kaleckian
    • E22 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Investment; Capital; Intangible Capital; Capacity
    • O41 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - One, Two, and Multisector Growth Models
    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence

    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:eee:streco:v:58:y:2021:i:c:p:325-360. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/525148 .

    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.