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Biased Technological Change and the Relative Abundance of Natural Resources

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  • John Boyce

    (University of Calgary)

Abstract

This paper documents that natural resources that are more abundant have higher production, lower prices, higher primary industry revenues, and higher R&D. These empirical facts are explained by a model of biased technological change in which relatively more abundant resources attract greater R&D because the return from obtaining a patent is higher in larger markets. Resource specifi c R&D may be targeted either towards upstream extraction technologies or towards downstream production technologies, and R&D is subject to diminishing knowledge spillovers and diminishing productivity of labor. The estimated elasticity of substitution between natural resources is greater than one, implying that natural resources are substitutes in production. Declining real resource prices in the face of rising resource production are explained by the increasing productivity of labor as knowledge stocks grow.

Suggested Citation

  • John Boyce, "undated". "Biased Technological Change and the Relative Abundance of Natural Resources," Working Papers 2013-04, Department of Economics, University of Calgary.
    • Handle: RePEc:clg:wpaper:2013-04
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    File URL: https://econ.ucalgary.ca/sites/econ.ucalgary.ca.manageprofile/files/unitis/publications/1-4042733/Induced_Innovation_Paper_January_2013.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Henry Willebald & Marc Badia-Miró & Vicente Pinilla, 2015. "Natural Resources and Economic Development. Some lessons from History," Documentos de Trabajo (DT-AEHE) 1504, Asociación Española de Historia Económica.
    2. Brett J. Watson & Roderick G. Eggert, 2021. "Understanding relative metal prices and availability: Combining physical and economic perspectives," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 25(4), pages 890-899, August.

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