ABSTRACT: The role of physical capital is typically found to be limited in accounting for differences in GDP per worker, but this result may be because capital is customarily assumed to be a homogenous unit. This assumption is misleading, Continue reading “Article: The Composition of Capital and Cross-country Productivity Comparisons”
The United States, 1899-1941
ABSTRACT: We develop new aggregate TFP growth estimates for the United States between 1899 and 1941, and sectoral estimates at the most disaggregated level so far, 38 industries. We include hard-to-measure services, and a refined measure of sectoral labour quality growth. Continue reading “Article: The Sources of Growth in a Technologically Progressive Economy”
Frontier Analysis
ABSTRACT: A great deal of research in economics and business is devoted to the study of efficiency of individuals, organisations or entire economies. This chapter introduces a family of innovative techniques Continue reading “Chapter: Frontier Analysis”
ABSTRACT: The African Commodity Trade Database (ACTD) aims to stimulate and deepen research on African and global economic history. The database provides export and import series at product level for more than two and a half centuries of African trade (1730-2010). Continue reading “Article: An Introduction to the African Commodity Trade Database, 1730-2010”
The Commercial Transition and the Commodity Price Boom of 1835-85
ABSTRACT: We use a new trade dataset showing that nineteenth century Sub-Saharan Africa experienced a terms of trade boom comparable to other parts of the ‘global periphery’. A sharp rise in export prices in the five decades before the scramble (1835-1885) Continue reading “Article: An Economic Rationale for the West African Scramble?”
A New View on Technology and Productivity in German Manufacturing in the Early Twentieth Century
ABSTRACT: Labor productivity in German manufacturing lagged persistently behind the United States in the early twentieth century. Traditionally, this is attributed to dichotomous technology paths across the Atlantic. Continue reading “Article: The Yankees of Europe?”
A New Appraisal of the Anglo-American Productivity Gap and the Nature of American Economic Leadership ca. 1910
ABSTRACT: This article re-examines how and when the USA closed the gap and ultimately overtook the UK in terms of both labour productivity and real income. On the basis of a set of sectoral productivity benchmarks for the year 1910 Continue reading “Article: Taking Over”
A New Benchmark of Sector Productivity in the United States and Western Europe, ca. 1910
ABSTRACT: The debate concerning the exact timing and causes of changes in economic leadership constitutes one of the central themes in economic history. This study aims to improve the measurement of economic performance in the United States and Western Europe Continue reading “Article: Changing Economic Leadership”
