Capital deepening

About: Capital deepening is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 5203 publications have been published within this topic receiving 230297 citations.

The Role of High-Tech Capital Formation for Swedish Productivity Growth*

Abstract: While using new data and standard growth-accounting techniques, this paper takes a closer look at the Swedish productivity revival in the second half of the 1990s. In particular, I find large total factor productivity growth in high-tech producing sectors and capital deepening associated with high-tech equipment elsewhere. In addition, for high-tech producers, high-tech capital deepening has as a rule contributed negatively to labor productivity growth - a result above all driven by large increases in hours worked in this sector. I also find that in the business sector, the contribution from high-tech capital deepening to labor productivity growth increased from about 1 percent 1994 to 9 percent 1999.

Old Capital vs. New Investment in Post-Soviet Economies: Conceptual Issues and Estimates

Abstract: The paper evaluates levels and trends in capital accumulation in countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) since the start of market reforms. Based on certain assumptions about the survival rate of the old Soviet era capital and perpetual inventory method to account for new investments, we estimate the amount of ‘market-quality’ capital accumulated in the CIS economies in the 1992–2005 period. Over the period of observation, in Russia the losses of the 1990s were largely restored while most other countries saw a decline in capital stock. Russia remains the highest capitalised CIS country with capital–labour ratio (K/L) of about $40,000 per worker. The lowest capitalised countries have K/L's from $10 to $13,000. Growth accounting using market-quality capital stock shows that the key factor of GDP changes was the dynamics of total factor productivity.

Labour productivity developments in the euro area

Abstract: This paper provides a description and a discussion of some important aspects relating to recent productivity developments in the euro area. Following decades of stronger gains in the euro area than in the US, labour productivity growth has fallen behind that in the US in recent years. This reflects a decline in average labour productivity growth observed in the euro area since the mid-1990s, which stands in sharp contrast with opposite developments in the US. The decline in labour productivity growth experienced in the euro area since the mid-1990s resulted from both lower capital deepening and lower total factor productivity growth. From a sectoral perspective, industries not producing or using intensively information and communication technology (ICT) would appear mostly responsible for the decline in average labour productivity growth since the mid-1990s. These developments were broadly experienced by most euro area countries. A comparison with developments in the US suggests that the euro area economy seems to have benefited much less from increased production and use of ICT technologies, in particular in the services sector. Diverging trends in labour productivity growth between the euro area and the US in recent years mainly reflect developments in a number of specific ICT-using services such as retail, wholesale and some financial services where strong gains were registered in the US. The evidence presented in this paper suggests that, in order to support economic growth in the euro area, emphasis should be given to both policy measures that directly address the determinants of productivity and, given the interactions among the various factors of growth, to policies that raise labour utilisation. JEL Classification: J24, O47

Demographic change, foresight and international capital flows

Abstract: This paper studies the relationship between demographic change and international capital flows using a large cross-country time-series dataset. The analysis provides empirical evidence of a substantial an twofold demographic effect on international capital flow: First, capital flows are induced by changes in present demography. Countries with a large working-age population tend to be net exporters of capital, relatively younger economies importers of capital and extremely aged countries with a major population share of elderly also tend to import capital. In particular, high youth dependency induces current account deficits. Second, the paper provides evidence that future demographic changes are anticipated and affect current net capital flows, too. This twofold demographic effect on international capital flows can be hampered by capital controls and other capital market frictions. The impact of these frictions is also explored in the paper. The results indicate that they indeed affect capital flows.