IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/prs/recind/rei_0154-3229_1997_num_80_1_1670.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Evolutionary Explanation of Total Factor Productivity Growth : Macro Measurement and Micro Process

Author

Listed:
  • J. Stanley Metcalfe

Abstract

[fre] Cet article propose les voies selon lesquelles il est possible de renouveler l'analyse et l'explication de la croissance de la productivité au niveau global. Dans une perspective évolutionniste, les forces qui affectent les individus changent en réalité non ces individus mais la structure de la population dont ils font partie. De ce point de vue, c'est la diversité qui est au coeur de l'explication: la diversité des comportements des entreprises, en particulier la diversité des comportements d'innovation, et des mécanismes de sélection. La croissance de la productivité repose sur deux types de processus logiquement distincts: l'un d'innovation renouvelant ou améliorant la technologie, l'autre de diffusion, par lequel l'usage de ces technologies plus efficientes se répand à travers le système économique. Sur la base de ces principes, l'article propose une formalisation simple permettant de dégager les effets de productivité résultant de la diversité des comportements des entreprises, ou distinguant les effets d'innovation et les effets de diffusion. [eng] This paper presents the lines along which the analysis and explanation of productivity growth at the macro level can be fundamentally renewed. In an evolutionnary perspective, forces acting on individuals change not these individuals but the structure of the population of which they are members. From this point of view, it is diversity which is at the core of the argument: diversity in firm behaviours, particularly of innovative behaviours, togother with selection mechanisms. Productivity change involves two logically distinct innovation processes, creating new or improved technologies, and diffusion processes, spreading these new technologies into the economic system. On the basis of these principles, the paper proposes some simple formalization for indentifying separately innovation and diffusion productivity effects resulting from the diversity of enterprise behaviours.

Suggested Citation

  • J. Stanley Metcalfe, 1997. "The Evolutionary Explanation of Total Factor Productivity Growth : Macro Measurement and Micro Process," Revue d'Économie Industrielle, Programme National Persée, vol. 80(1), pages 93-114.
    • Handle: RePEc:prs:recind:rei_0154-3229_1997_num_80_1_1670
    DOI: 10.3406/rei.1997.1670
    Note: DOI:10.3406/rei.1997.1670
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.3406/rei.1997.1670
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.persee.fr/doc/rei_0154-3229_1997_num_80_1_1670
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.3406/rei.1997.1670?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. David Haas, 2016. "The evolutionary traverse: a causal analysis," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 26(5), pages 1173-1193, December.
    2. Giulio Cainelli, 2008. "Spatial Agglomeration, Technological Innovations, and Firm Productivity: Evidence from Italian Industrial Districts," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(3), pages 414-435, September.
    3. Paul A. David & Gavin Wright, 1999. "Early Twentieth Century Productivity Growth Dynamics: An Inquiry into the Economic History of "Our Ignorance"," Oxford University Economic and Social History Series _033, Economics Group, Nuffield College, University of Oxford.
    4. Paul A. David, 2005. "Two Centuries of American Macroeconomic Growth From Exploitation of Resource Abundance to Knowledge-Driven Development," Macroeconomics 0502021, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Paul David & Gavin Wright, 1999. "Early Twentieth Century Productivity Growth Dynamics: An Inquiry into the Economic History of Our Ignorance," Oxford Economic and Social History Working Papers _033, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.
    6. Michael Peneder & Karl Aiginger & Gernot Hutschenreiter & Markus Marterbauer, 2001. "Structural Change and Economic Growth," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 20668, Juni.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:prs:recind:rei_0154-3229_1997_num_80_1_1670. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Equipe PERSEE (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.persee.fr/collection/rei .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.