IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/irapec/v31y2017i3p283-303.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Productivity growth and catching up: a technology gap explanation

Author

Listed:
  • Andrea Filippetti
  • Antonio Peyrache

Abstract

This paper seeks to explain why some countries have managed to catch up in terms of labor productivity over the period 1993–2007 in 76 countries. By integrating the technology gap research within the standard growth-accounting approach, we introduce a methodology which allows us to split total factor productivity (TFP) change into two components: conditional technical inefficiency and the magnitude of the technology gap. We find that labor productivity growth depends both on investment in fixed capital and TFP. Fast emerging economies exhibit patterns of growth based in particular on the reduction of the technology gap, confirming the role of investment in technological capabilities to spur productivity catch-up. Looking at change in the distribution of labor productivity, emerging countries managed to shift from low productivity toward a medium level of productivity thanks to technology accumulation. Less advanced countries cannot rely only on technology diffusion and learning by doing, policies for technological capabilities accumulation are necessary.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrea Filippetti & Antonio Peyrache, 2017. "Productivity growth and catching up: a technology gap explanation," International Review of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(3), pages 283-303, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:irapec:v:31:y:2017:i:3:p:283-303
    DOI: 10.1080/02692171.2016.1249831
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/02692171.2016.1249831
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/02692171.2016.1249831?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. Rodrik, Dani, 1994. "King Kong Meets Godzilla: The World Bank and The East Asian Miracle," CEPR Discussion Papers 944, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    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. Ramani, Shyama V. & Urias, Eduardo, 2018. "When access to drugs meets catch-up: Insights from the use of CL threats to improve access to ARV drugs in Brazil," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(8), pages 1538-1552.
    2. Anatole Goundan, 2018. "Colonial Legacy and Economic Efficiency across Africa: A Metafrontier Approach," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 30(2), pages 187-199, June.
    3. Mensah, Emmanuel B. & Owusu, Solomon & Foster-McGregor, Neil, 2020. "Productive efficiency, technological change and catch up within Africa," MERIT Working Papers 2020-033, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    4. Randolph Luca Bruno & Elodie Douarin & Julia Korosteleva & Slavo Radosevic, 2022. "The Two Disjointed Faces of R&D and the Productivity Gap in Europe," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(3), pages 580-603, May.

    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. Jan Fagerberg & Bengt-Åke Lundvall & Martin Srholec, 2018. "Global Value Chains, National Innovation Systems and Economic Development," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 30(3), pages 533-556, July.
    2. Jun, Bogang & Hwang, Won-Sik, 2012. "Financial Hurdles for Human Capital Accumulation: Revisiting the Galor-Zeira Model," MPRA Paper 46317, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Paus, Eva, 1995. "Exports, economic growth and the consolidation of peace in El Salvador," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 23(12), pages 2173-2193, December.
    4. Carter, Michael & Morrow, John, 2014. "The political economy of inclusive rural growth," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 60268, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    5. Marcus Noland & Howard Pack, 2005. "The East Asian Industrial Policy Experience: Implications for the Middle East," Working Paper Series WP05-14, Peterson Institute for International Economics.
    6. Jan Fagerberg, 1999. "Technology, Policy, Growth - Theory, Evidence and Interpretation," Nordic Journal of Political Economy, Nordic Journal of Political Economy, vol. 25, pages 5-14.
    7. Charles Harvie & Hyun-Hoon Lee, 2003. "New Regionalism in East Asia: How Does It Relate to the East Asian Economic Development Model?," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Tran Hoa & Charles Harvie (ed.), New Asian Regionalism, chapter 4, pages 40-71, Palgrave Macmillan.
    8. Diaz-Bautista, Alejandro, 2002. "The role of telecommunications infrastructure and human capital: Mexico´s economic growth and convergence," ERSA conference papers ersa02p102, European Regional Science Association.
    9. Frances Stewart, "undated". "Adjustment and Poverty in Asia: Old Solutions and New Problems -," QEH Working Papers qehwps20, Queen Elizabeth House, University of Oxford.
    10. Redding, Stephen & Venables, Anthony J., 2003. "South-East Asian export performance: external market access and internal supply capacity," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 17(4), pages 404-431, December.
    11. Martin Ravallion, 2013. "The Idea of Antipoverty Policy," NBER Working Papers 19210, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    12. Simeon Coleman & Juan Carlos Cuestas & Estefanía Mourelle, 2011. "Investigating the oil price-exchange rate nexus: Evidence from Africa," Working Papers 2011015, The University of Sheffield, Department of Economics, revised May 2011.
    13. David E. Bloom & Waseen Noor, 1995. "Is an Integrated Regional Labor Market Emergin in East and Southeast Asia?," NBER Working Papers 5174, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    14. Norman Gemmell & Joey Au, 2013. "Government size, fiscal policy and the level and growth of output: a review of recent evidence," Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(2), pages 203-229.
    15. repec:esx:essedp:764 is not listed on IDEAS
    16. Schweickert, Rainer & Thiele, Rainer, 2004. "From Washington to post-Washington? Consensus policies and divergent developments in Latin America and Asia," Kiel Discussion Papers 408, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    17. Susumu Watanabe, 1997. "Quo vadis Africa ? La stratégie de développement de la Banque mondiale vue par le Japon," Revue Tiers Monde, Programme National Persée, vol. 38(150), pages 311-330.
    18. Rock, Michael T., 1996. "Pollution intensity of GDP and trade policy: Can the World Bank be wrong?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 24(3), pages 471-479, March.
    19. Boyce, James K., 1995. "Adjustment toward peace: An introduction," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 23(12), pages 2067-2077, December.
    20. Jörg MAYER, 1996. "Implications Of New Trade And Endogenous Growth Theories For Diversification Policies Of Commodity-Dependent Countries," UNCTAD Discussion Papers 122, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
    21. Dani Rodrik, 1994. "Getting Interventions Right: How South Korea and Taiwan Grew Rich," NBER Working Papers 4964, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

    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:taf:irapec:v:31:y:2017:i:3:p:283-303. 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: Chris Longhurst (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.tandfonline.com/CIRA20 .

    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.