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Convergence Across Italian Regions and the Role of Technological Catch-Up

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Author Info
Marco Maffezzoli (Università Bocconi and IGIER)

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Abstract

This paper suggests that the main (and possibly unique) source of beta- and sigma-convergence in GDP per worker (i.e. labor productivity) across Italian regions over the 1980-2004 period is the change in technical and allocative efficiency, i.e. convergence in relative TFP levels. To obtain this result, I construct an approximation of the production frontier at different points in time using Data Envelope Analysis (DEA), and measure efficiency as the output-based distance from the frontier. This method is entirely data-driven, and does not require the specification of any particular functional form for technology. Changes in GDP per worker can be decomposed into changes in relative efficiency, changes due to overall technological progress, and changes due to capital deepening. My results suggest that: (i) differences in relative TFP are quantitatively important; (ii) while technological progress and capital deepening are the main, and equally important, forces behind the rightward shift in the distribution of GDP per worker, convergence in relative TFP is the main determinant of the change in its shape.

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Publisher Info
Article provided by Berkeley Electronic Press in its journal Topics in Macroeconomics.

Volume (Year): 6 (2006)
Issue (Month): 1 ()
Pages: 1405-1405
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Handle: RePEc:bep:mactop:v:6:y:2006:i:1:p:1405-1405

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Related research
Keywords: italian regions regional convergence total factor productivity data envelope analysis

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
R11 - Urban, Rural, and Regional Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Analysis of Growth, Development, and Changes

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:

  1. Fare, Rolf & Shawna Grosskopf & Mary Norris & Zhongyang Zhang, 1994. "Productivity Growth, Technical Progress, and Efficiency Change in Industrialized Countries," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 84(1), pages 66-83, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Marinella Terrasi, 1999. "Convergence and divergence across Italian regions," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer, vol. 33(4), pages 491-510. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Douglas Gollin, 2002. "Getting Income Shares Right," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 110(2), pages 458-474, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  4. Mark Bils & Peter J. Klenow, 2000. "Does Schooling Cause Growth?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 90(5), pages 1160-1183, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Caselli, Francesco, 2004. "Accounting for Cross-Country Income Differences," CEPR Discussion Papers 4703, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  6. Pol Antrà s, 2004. "Is the U.S. Aggregate Production Function Cobb-Douglas? New Estimates of the Elasticity of Substitution," Contributions to Macroeconomics, Berkeley Electronic Press, vol. 4(1), pages 1161-1161. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Charnes, A. & Cooper, W. W. & Rhodes, E., 1978. "Measuring the efficiency of decision making units," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 2(6), pages 429-444, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Adriana Di Liberto & Francesco Pigliaru & Roberto Mura, 2004. "How to measure the unobservable: a panel technique for the analysis of TFP convergence," Working Paper CRENoS 200405, Centre for North South Economic Research, University of Cagliari and Sassari, Sardinia. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  9. Leone Leonida & Carmelo Petraglia & Luis R. Murillo-Zamorano, 2004. "Total factor productivity and the convergence hypothesis in the Italian regions," Applied Economics, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 36(19), pages 2187-2193, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Guido Ascari & Valeria Di Cosmo, 2005. "Determinants of Total Factor Productivity in the Italian Regions," Macroeconomics 0511009, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
  11. Afriat, Sidney N, 1972. "Efficiency Estimation of Production Function," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 13(3), pages 568-98, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Adriana Di Liberto & Roberto Mura & Francesco Pigliaru, 2005. "How to Measure the Unobservable: A Panel Technique for the Analysis of TFP Convergence," Working Papers 2005.16, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Angelo Zago & Francesco Aiello & Camilla Mastromarco, 2008. "Be productive or face decline. On the sources and determinants of output growth in Italian manufacturing firms," Working Papers 46, Università di Verona, Dipartimento di Scienze economiche. [Downloadable!]
  3. Alejandro Cuñat & Szabolcs Deak & Marco Maffezzoli, 2008. "Tax Cuts in Open Economies," CEP Discussion Papers dp0860, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
    • Alejandro Cuñat & Szabolcs Deák & Marco Maffezzoli, . "Tax Cuts in Open Economies," Working Papers 332, IGIER (Innocenzo Gasparini Institute for Economic Research), Bocconi University. [Downloadable!]
  4. Daniele, Vittorio, 2007. "Divari regionali e crescita del Mezzogiorno, 1980-2004
    [Sources of growth and convergence among Italian regions 1980-2004]    ," MPRA Paper 4994, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 02 Aug 2007. [Downloadable!]
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