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”
ABSTRACT: This paper offers a direct industry-of-origin benchmark for the United States and the United Kingdom around 1910. The industry-of-origin approach allows for a disaggregation of international productivity differentials Continue reading “Working Paper: Taking Over”
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”
ABSTRACT: America’s lead over Europe in manufacturing productivity from the late nineteenth century onwards has often been contributed to differences in initial conditions, trapping Europe in a relatively declining, labor-intensive and low-productive technological path. In this paper, I reassess the productivity dynamics in British manufacturing Continue reading “Working Paper: The Great Escape”
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”
ABSTRACT: This paper presents a new benchmark of output and relative prices (PPPs) for agriculture, mining and five manufacturing branches in the US, UK, France and the Netherlands around 1910. Continue reading “Working Paper: Comparing Productivity in the Netherlands, France, UK and US, ca. 1910”
ABSTRACT: The manufacturing productivity gap between the U.S. and the U.K. became much larger during the interwar period than existing estimates suggest. This paper presents a new estimate based on real value added and hours worked. Continue reading “Working Paper: A Comparison of Real Output and Productivity for British and American Manufacturing in 1935”
Pieter (Jop) WOLTJER 