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”
ABSTRACT: The release of the Penn World Table version 9.1 is the fourth release since the switch to the ‘Next Generation of the Penn World Table’, see Feenstra, Inklaar and Timmer (2015). PWT 9.1 does contain important new and revised data. Continue reading “Working Paper: What is new in PWT 9.1?”
ABSTRACT: This document describes the sources and methods used for estimation of data on capital stocks and employment variables for the 43 countries included in the WIOD 2016 database, called the Socio-Economic Accounts (SEAs). Continue reading “Working Paper: WIOD Socio-Economic Accounts 2016”
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 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 (1737-2010). Continue reading “Dataset: African Commodity Trade Database”
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?”
Productivity Growth and Technological Change in Great Britain and the United States during the Early Twentieth Century
ABSTRACT: A recent study in American economic history has shown that the 1930s, though scarred by relentless unemployment, mass migration and profound social and cultural change, were far from gloomy in terms of technological and business innovation. In light of these dynamic productivity developments Continue reading “Dissertation: The Roaring Thirties”
A New Estimate of the Anglo-American Manufacturing Productivity Gap in the Interwar Period
ABSTRACT: During the interwar period the manufacturing productivity gap between the US and the UK became much larger than existing estimates suggest. In this article a new comparison of US/UK productivity levels for 1935 is presented, utilizing a more rigorous Continue reading “Article: Depression Dynamics”
