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Technological progress, obsolescence, and depreciation

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  • Raouf Boucekkine
  • Fernando del Río
  • Blanca Martínez

Abstract

We construct a two-sector vintage capital model with neutral and investment-specific technical progress and variable utilization of each vintage. The lifetime of capital goods is endogenous and it relies on the associated maintenance costs. First, we show that the lifetime of capital is an increasing (resp. decreasing) function of the rate of neutral (resp. investment-specific) technical progress. Second, we show that both the use-related depreciation rate and the scrapping rate increase when investment-specific technical progress accelerates. However, the latter drops when neutral technical progress accelerates, while the former remains unaffected. It is also shown that (i) the economic depreciation rate depends on the decline rate of the quality-unadjusted relative price of investment and (ii) the age-related depreciation rate depends on the obsolescence rate. Copyright 2009 , Oxford University Press.

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  • Raouf Boucekkine & Fernando del Río & Blanca Martínez, 2009. "Technological progress, obsolescence, and depreciation," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 61(3), pages 440-466, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:oxecpp:v:61:y:2009:i:3:p:440-466
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    Cited by:

    1. del Rio, Fernando, 2010. "Investment-specific technical progress, capital obsolescence and job creation," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 17(1), pages 248-257, January.
    2. Albonico, Alice & Kalyvitis, Sarantis & Pappa, Evi, 2014. "Capital maintenance and depreciation over the business cycle," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 273-286.
    3. Jakub Boratyński & Jacek Osiewalski, 2021. "Bayesian Estimation of Capital Stock and Depreciation in the Production Function Framework," Central European Journal of Economic Modelling and Econometrics, Central European Journal of Economic Modelling and Econometrics, vol. 13(4), pages 455-486, December.
    4. Groth, Christian & Wendner, Ronald, 2014. "Embodied learning by investing and speed of convergence," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 245-269.
    5. Barañano, Ilaski & Romero-Ávila, Diego, 2015. "Long-term growth and persistence with obsolescence," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 328-339.
    6. AZOMAHOU, Théophile & BOUCEKKINE, Raouf & NGUYEN-VAN, Phu, 2009. "Promoting clean technologies under imperfect competition," LIDAM Discussion Papers CORE 2009011, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
    7. Boucekkine, R. & Fabbri, G. & Gozzi, F., 2010. "Maintenance and investment: Complements or substitutes? A reappraisal," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 34(12), pages 2420-2439, December.
    8. Fabbri, Giorgio & Gozzi, Fausto, 2006. "Vintage Capital in the AK growth model: a Dynamic Programming approach. Extended version," MPRA Paper 7334, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Nicholas Apergis & John Sorros, 2013. "The role of fixed capital depreciations for TFP growth: evidence from firm level panel data estimates," Journal of Economics and Finance, Springer;Academy of Economics and Finance, vol. 37(4), pages 606-621, October.
    10. F. J. Escribá‐Pérez & M. J. Murgui‐García & J. R. Ruiz‐Tamarit, 2023. "Endogenous capital stock and depreciation in the United States," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 25(1), pages 139-167, February.
    11. Motamedi, N. & Reza Peyghami, M. & Hadizadeh, M., 2013. "A mixed integer nonlinear programming model for the optimal repair–replacement in the firm," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 66(3), pages 366-371.
    12. Théophile T. Azomahou & Raouf Boucekkine & Phu Nguyen-Vanc, "undated". "Promoting Clean Technologies: The Energy Market Structure Crucially Matters," Working Papers 2008_13, Business School - Economics, University of Glasgow.
    13. F. J. Escribá-Pérez & M. J. Murgui-García & J. R. Ruiz-Tamarit, 2019. "Capital Stock and Depreciation: Theory and an Empirical Application," LIDAM Discussion Papers IRES 2019004, Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES).
    14. Belousova, Irina, 2017. "The role of endogenous capital depreciation rate in Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium models: Evidence from Canada," MPRA Paper 102036, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. George Bitros, 2010. "The theorem of proportionality in contemporary capital theory: An assessment of its conceptual foundations," The Review of Austrian Economics, Springer;Society for the Development of Austrian Economics, vol. 23(4), pages 367-401, December.
    16. Luis Puch & Antonia Díaz, 2012. "A Theory of Energy Use," 2012 Meeting Papers 802, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    17. Deli, Yota D., 2016. "Endogenous capital depreciation and technology shocks," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 318-338.
    18. Alice Albonico & Sarantis Kalyvitis & Evi Pappa, 2011. "Real Business Cycles with Capital Maintenance," Quaderni di Dipartimento 147, University of Pavia, Department of Economics and Quantitative Methods.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E22 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Investment; Capital; Intangible Capital; Capacity
    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • O40 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - General

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