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Productivity Growth and the Role of ICT in the United Kingdom: An Industry View, 1970-2000

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  • Nicholas Oulton
  • Sylaja Srinivasan

Abstract

We use a new industry-level dataset to quantify the role of ICT in explaining productivity growth in the UK, 1970-2000. The dataset is for 34 industries covering the whole economy (31 in the market sector). Using growth accounting, we find that ICT capital played an increasingly important, and in the 1990s the dominant, role in accounting for labour productivity growth in the market sector. Econometric evidence also supports an important role for ICT. We also find econometric evidence that a boom in complementary investment in the 1990s could have led to a decline in the conventional measure of TFP growth.

Suggested Citation

  • Nicholas Oulton & Sylaja Srinivasan, 2005. "Productivity Growth and the Role of ICT in the United Kingdom: An Industry View, 1970-2000," CEP Discussion Papers dp0681, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    • Handle: RePEc:cep:cepdps:dp0681
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    Cited by:

    1. Giulia Faggio & Kjell G. Salvanes & John Van Reenen, 2010. "The evolution of inequality in productivity and wages: panel data evidence," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 19(6), pages 1919-1951, December.
    2. Charlie Karlsson & Gunther Maier & Michaela Trippl & Iulia Siedschlag & Gavin Murphy, 2010. "ICT and Regional Economic Dynamics: A Literature Review," JRC Research Reports JRC59920, Joint Research Centre.
    3. Susanto Basu & John G. Fernald, 2008. "Information and communications technology as a general purpose technology: evidence from U.S. industry data," Economic Review, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, pages 1-15.
    4. Jan Bena & Peter Ondko & Evangelia Vourvachaki, 2011. "Productivity Gains from Services Liberalization in Europe," CERGE-EI Working Papers wp452, The Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education - Economics Institute, Prague.
    5. Tero Kuusi & Martti Kulvik & Juha-Matti Junnonen, 2022. "Productivity Growth in Construction Value Chains," International Productivity Monitor, Centre for the Study of Living Standards, vol. 42, pages 3-32, Spring.
    6. Tero Kuusi, 2015. "The dynamics of ICT adaptation and the productivity gaps across advanced nations," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 44(2), pages 175-188, October.
    7. Francesco Venturini, 2009. "The long-run impact of ICT," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 37(3), pages 497-515, December.
    8. O'Mahony, Mary & Robinson, Catherine & Vecchi, Michela, 2008. "The impact of ICT on the demand for skilled labour: A cross-country comparison," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 15(6), pages 1435-1450, December.
    9. Dana Hajkova, 2008. "The Measurement of Capital Services in the Czech Republic," Working Papers 2008/11, Czech National Bank.
    10. Charlie Karlsson & Gunther Maier & Michaela Trippl & Iulia Siedschlag & Robert Owen & Gavin Murphy, 2008. "ICT Diffusion, Innovation Systems, Globalisation and Regional Economic Dynamics: Theory and Empirical Evidence," Papers WP233, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
    11. Francesco VENTURINI, 2008. "Information Technology, Research & Development, or Both? What Really Drives A Nation's Productivity," Working Papers 321, Universita' Politecnica delle Marche (I), Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche e Sociali.
    12. repec:bla:germec:v:8:y:2007:i::p:146-173 is not listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    productivity; TFP; ICT;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • 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
    • D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity

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