IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/tpr/restat/v90y2008i1p174-180.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Decomposing Productivity Growth in the U.S. Computer Industry

Author

Listed:
  • Hyunbae Chun

    (Department of Economics, Sogang University, Korea)

  • M. Ishaq Nadiri

    (Department of Economics, New York University, and NBER)

Abstract

In this paper, we examine the sources of the productivity growth in the U.S. computer industry from 1978 to 1999. We estimate a joint production model of output quantity and quality that distinguishes two types of technological changes: process and product innovations. Based on the estimation results, we decompose total factor productivity (TFP) growth rate into the contributions of process and product innovations and scale economies. We find that product innovation associated with better quality accounts for about 30% of the TFP growth in the computer industry. Furthermore, the TFP acceleration in the computer industry in the late 1990s is mainly derived from a rapid increase in product innovation. Copyright by the President and Fellows of Harvard College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Suggested Citation

  • Hyunbae Chun & M. Ishaq Nadiri, 2008. "Decomposing Productivity Growth in the U.S. Computer Industry," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 90(1), pages 174-180, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:tpr:restat:v:90:y:2008:i:1:p:174-180
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/rest.90.1.174
    File Function: link to full text
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    ---><---

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

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Charles R. Hulten & Edwin R. Dean & Michael J. Harper, 2001. "New Developments in Productivity Analysis," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number hult01-1.
    2. Darren Filson, 2001. "The Nature and Effects of Technological Change over the Industry Life Cycle," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 4(2), pages 460-494, July.
    3. Dale W. Jorgenson & Kevin J. Stiroh, 2000. "Raising the Speed Limit: U.S. Economic Growth in the Information Age," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 31(1), pages 125-236.
    4. Timothy F. Bresnahan & Shane Greenstein, 1999. "Technological Competition and the Structure of the Computer Industry," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(1), pages 1-40, March.
    5. Bart Hobijn, 2001. "Is equipment price deflation a statistical artifact?," Staff Reports 139, Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
    6. Igal Hendel, 1999. "Estimating Multiple-Discrete Choice Models: An Application to Computerization Returns," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 66(2), pages 423-446.
    7. Irwin, Douglas A & Klenow, Peter J, 1994. "Learning-by-Doing Spillovers in the Semiconductor Industry," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 102(6), pages 1200-1227, December.
    8. Gort, Michael & Klepper, Steven, 1982. "Time Paths in the Diffusion of Product Innovations," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 92(367), pages 630-653, September.
    9. Davis, Peter, 2000. "Empirical models of demand for differentiated products," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 44(4-6), pages 993-1005, May.
    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. 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. Khayyat, Nabaz T. & Lee, Jongsu & Lee, Jeong-Dong, 2014. "How ICT Investment Influences Energy Demand in South Korea and Japan?," MPRA Paper 55454, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Rodrigo Cifuentes & Jorge Desormeaux, 2005. "Monetary policy and financial integration: the case of Chile," BIS Papers chapters, in: Bank for International Settlements (ed.), Globalisation and monetary policy in emerging markets, volume 23, pages 109-23, Bank for International Settlements.
    4. Benedetti Fasil, Cristiana & Borota, Teodora, 2013. "World trade patterns and prices: The role of productivity and quality heterogeneity," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(1), pages 68-81.
    5. Hidemichi Fujii & Kazuma Edamura & Koichi Sumikura & Yoko Furusawa & Naomi Fukuzawa & Shunsuke Managi, 2015. "How enterprise strategies are related to innovation and productivity change: an empirical study of Japanese manufacturing firms," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(3), pages 248-262, April.
    6. Geuna, Aldo & Nesta, Lionel J.J., 2006. "University patenting and its effects on academic research: The emerging European evidence," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(6), pages 790-807, July.
    7. Catherine Mann, 2011. "Information Technology, Globalization, and Growth: Role for Scale Economies, Terms of Trade, and Variety," Working Papers 27, Brandeis University, Department of Economics and International Business School.
    8. Adedoyin, Festus Fatai & Bekun, Festus Victor & Driha, Oana M. & Balsalobre-Lorente, Daniel, 2020. "The effects of air transportation, energy, ICT and FDI on economic growth in the industry 4.0 era: Evidence from the United States," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    9. Madhabendra Sinha & Partha Pratim Sengupta, 2022. "FDI Inflow, ICT Expansion and Economic Growth: An Empirical Study on Asia-Pacific Developing Countries," Global Business Review, International Management Institute, vol. 23(3), pages 804-821, June.
    10. Gretz, Richard T. & Basuroy, Suman, 2013. "Why Quality May Not Always Win: The Impact of Product Generation Life Cycles on Quality and Network Effects in High-tech Markets," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 89(3), pages 281-300.
    11. BEN YOUSSEF, Adel & M'HENNI, Hatem, 2003. "Les effets des technologies de l'information et de communication sur la croissance économique; le cas de la Tunisie [ICT contribution to growth; the case of tunisia]," MPRA Paper 27537, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Subal Kumbhakar & Kai Sun, 2012. "Estimation of TFP growth: a semiparametric smooth coefficient approach," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 43(1), pages 1-24, August.
    13. Hyunbae Chun & Jung-Wook Kim & Jason Lee & Randall Morck, 2004. "Patterns of Comovement: The Role of Information Technology in the U.S. Economy," NBER Working Papers 10937, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    14. Hyunbae Chun & Jung-Wook Kim & Randall Morck, 2011. "Varying Heterogeneity among U.S. Firms: Facts and Implications," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 93(3), pages 1034-1052, August.
    15. Chun, Hyunbae & Kim, Jung-Wook & Morck, Randall & Yeung, Bernard, 2008. "Creative destruction and firm-specific performance heterogeneity," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(1), pages 109-135, July.
    16. Chun, Hyunbae & Kim, Jung-Wook & Lee, Jason, 2015. "How does information technology improve aggregate productivity? A new channel of productivity dispersion and reallocation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(5), pages 999-1016.

    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. Hyunbae Chun & M. Ishaq Nadiri, 2008. "Decomposing Productivity Growth in the U.S. Computer Industry," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 90(1), pages 174-180, February.
    2. Genakos, Christos D., 2004. "Differential merger effects: the case of the personal computer industry," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 6726, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    3. Mariana Mazzucato & Massimiliano Tancioni, 2005. "Innovation and Idiosyncratic Risk," Computing in Economics and Finance 2005 81, Society for Computational Economics.
    4. Mariana Mazzucato, 2006. "Innovation and Stock Prices: a Review of some Recent Work," Revue de l'OFCE, Presses de Sciences-Po, vol. 97(5), pages 159-179.
    5. Wojciech Szewczyk & Anna Sabadash, 2013. "Macroeconomic Modelling of Public Expenditures on Research and Development in Information and Communication Technologies," JRC Research Reports JRC82943, Joint Research Centre.
    6. Harald Edquist & Magnus Henrekson, 2006. "Technological Breakthroughs and Productivity Growth," Research in Economic History, in: Research in Economic History, pages 1-53, Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
    7. John G. Fernald, 2015. "Productivity and Potential Output before, during, and after the Great Recession," NBER Macroeconomics Annual, University of Chicago Press, vol. 29(1), pages 1-51.
    8. Filson, Darren, 2002. "Product and process innovations in the life cycle of an industry," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 49(1), pages 97-112, September.
    9. Łukasz Arendt, 2016. "Paradoks Solowa i determinanty wdrożenia technologii informacyjnych i telekomunikacyjnych," Gospodarka Narodowa. The Polish Journal of Economics, Warsaw School of Economics, issue 1, pages 29-53.
    10. Russell, Bonita I. & Shapiro, Daniel & Vining, Aidan R., 2010. "The evolution of the Canadian mining industry: The role of regulatory punctuation," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 90-97, June.
    11. Unterschultz, James R. & Lerohl, Mel L. & Peng, Yanning & Gurung, Rajendra Kumar, 1998. "A Nutraceutical Industry: Policy Implications for Future Directions," Project Report Series 24051, University of Alberta, Department of Resource Economics and Environmental Sociology.
    12. Carol Corrado & Charles Hulten & Daniel Sichel, 2009. "Intangible Capital And U.S. Economic Growth," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 55(3), pages 661-685, September.
    13. Bos, Jaap W.B. & Economidou, Claire & Sanders, Mark W.J.L., 2013. "Innovation over the industry life-cycle: Evidence from EU manufacturing," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 78-91.
    14. Flora Bellone & Patrick Musso & Lionel Nesta & Michel Quere, 2010. "Market Selection Along the Firm Life Cycle," Chapters, in: Jean-Luc Gaffard & Evens Salies (ed.), Innovation, Economic Growth and the Firm, chapter 5, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    15. Doms, Mark & Forman, Chris, 2005. "Prices for local area network equipment," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 17(3), pages 365-388, July.
    16. Christos Genakos & Kai‐Uwe Kühn & John Van Reenen, 2018. "Leveraging Monopoly Power by Degrading Interoperability: Theory and Evidence from Computer Markets," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 85(340), pages 873-902, October.
    17. Darren Filson & April Franco, 2000. "Knowledge diffusion through employee mobility," Staff Report 272, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
    18. Irwin, Douglas A. & Pavcnik, Nina, 2004. "Airbus versus Boeing revisited: international competition in the aircraft market," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(2), pages 223-245, December.
    19. Oliver Roehn & Theo Eicher & Thomas Strobel, 2007. "The Ifo Industry Growth Accounting Database," CESifo Working Paper Series 1915, CESifo.
    20. Robert Inklaar, 2007. "Cyclical Productivity in Europe and the United States: Evaluating the Evidence on Returns to Scale and Input Utilization," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 74(296), pages 822-841, November.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes

    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:tpr:restat:v:90:y:2008:i:1:p:174-180. 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: Kelly McDougall (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://direct.mit.edu/journals .

    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.