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World Shocks, Macroeconomic Response, and the Productivity Puzzle (Rev)

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  • Michael Bruno

Abstract

On the basis of a comparative growth analysis of ten major industrial countries, it is shown that the productivity slowdown of the 1970s can be attributed to a combination of the energy and raw material price shocks and the contractionary macroeconomic policies that were followed in response to these shocks. For a raw material intensive sector the rise in the relative price of material inputs has lowered gross output per unit of the other complementary factors, labour and capital. For the aggregated manufacturing sector of the ten economies this explains on average about 60% of the productivity slowdown. A more disaggregated analysis for U.K. manufacturing industries is also given. On the demand side, terms of trade deterioration has reduced real income and consumption and the profit squeeze has lowered investment demand. Fear of inflation and current account deficits has imparted a further deflationary bias to aggregate demand management in most industrial countries. Depressed demand and greater output variability have hampered factor reallocation in response to the exogenous shocks. The overriding role of demand contraction, particularly in the non- manufacturing industries, is shown in a comparative analysis of the aggregate business sector and a partial view of labour productivity growth in the service industries of these economies. The industrial countries can be contrasted with the middle income developing countries where output and productivity continued to grow more evenly after 1973, at the cost of large current account deficits and higher persistent inflation. This provides further evidence that productivity growth is closely linked to macroeconomic response.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael Bruno, 1982. "World Shocks, Macroeconomic Response, and the Productivity Puzzle (Rev)," NBER Working Papers 0942, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
  • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:0942
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    1. Berndt, Ernst R & Wood, David O, 1979. "Engineering and Econometric Interpretations of Energy-Capital Complementarity," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 69(3), pages 342-354, June.
    2. Irving B. Kravis & Robert E. Lipsey, 1984. "Prices and Terms of Trade for Developed Country Exports of Manufactured Goods," International Economic Association Series, in: Béla Csikós-Nagy & Douglas Hague & Graham Hall (ed.), The Economics of Relative Prices, chapter 18, pages 415-453, Palgrave Macmillan.
    3. Nordhaus, William D., 1982. "Economic policy in the face of declining productivity growth," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 131-157.
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    1. Pascal Petit & Gabriel Tahar, 1989. "Effets productivité et qualité de l'automatisation : une approche macro-économique," Revue Économique, Programme National Persée, vol. 40(1), pages 35-54.
    2. LAL, Deepak & van Wijnbergen, Sweder, 1985. "Government deficits, the real interest rate and LDC debt : On global crowding out," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(2), pages 157-191.
    3. R. Glenn Hubbard, 1983. "Uncertain Lifetimes, Social Security, and Individual Saving," Discussion Papers 581, Northwestern University, Center for Mathematical Studies in Economics and Management Science.
    4. Ian Goldin & Pantelis Koutroumpis & François Lafond & Julian Winkler, 2024. "Why Is Productivity Slowing Down?," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 62(1), pages 196-268, March.
    5. John F. Helliwell, 1983. "Stagflation and Productivity Decline in Canada, 1974-1982," NBER Working Papers 1185, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Michael J. Daly & P. Someshwar Rao, 1985. "Some Myths and Realities Concerning Canada's Recent Productivity Slowdown, and Their Policy Implications," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 11(2), pages 206-217, June.
    7. Robert Boyer, 2006. "Employment and decent work in the era of flexicurity," Working Papers halshs-00590452, HAL.

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