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Decomposing Productivity Growth in the U.S. Computer Industry

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  • Hyunbae Chun

    (Department of Economics, Sogang University, Korea)

  • M. Ishaq Nadiri

    (Department of Economics, New York University, and NBER)

Abstract

In this paper, we examine the sources of the productivity growth in the U.S. computer industry from 1978 to 1999. We estimate a joint production model of output quantity and quality that distinguishes two types of technological changes: process and product innovations. Based on the estimation results, we decompose total factor productivity (TFP) growth rate into the contributions of process and product innovations and scale economies. We find that product innovation associated with better quality accounts for about 30% of the TFP growth in the computer industry. Furthermore, the TFP acceleration in the computer industry in the late 1990s is mainly derived from a rapid increase in product innovation. Copyright by the President and Fellows of Harvard College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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  • Hyunbae Chun & M. Ishaq Nadiri, 2008. "Decomposing Productivity Growth in the U.S. Computer Industry," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 90(1), pages 174-180, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:tpr:restat:v:90:y:2008:i:1:p:174-180
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    Cited by:

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    2. Hidemichi Fujii & Kazuma Edamura & Koichi Sumikura & Yoko Furusawa & Naomi Fukuzawa & Shunsuke Managi, 2015. "How enterprise strategies are related to innovation and productivity change: an empirical study of Japanese manufacturing firms," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(3), pages 248-262, April.
    3. Catherine Mann, 2011. "Information Technology, Globalization, and Growth: Role for Scale Economies, Terms of Trade, and Variety," Working Papers 27, Brandeis University, Department of Economics and International Business School.
    4. Gretz, Richard T. & Basuroy, Suman, 2013. "Why Quality May Not Always Win: The Impact of Product Generation Life Cycles on Quality and Network Effects in High-tech Markets," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 89(3), pages 281-300.
    5. BEN YOUSSEF, Adel & M'HENNI, Hatem, 2003. "Les effets des technologies de l'information et de communication sur la croissance économique; le cas de la Tunisie [ICT contribution to growth; the case of tunisia]," MPRA Paper 27537, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Chun, Hyunbae & Kim, Jung-Wook & Morck, Randall & Yeung, Bernard, 2008. "Creative destruction and firm-specific performance heterogeneity," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(1), pages 109-135, July.
    7. Chun, Hyunbae & Kim, Jung-Wook & Lee, Jason, 2015. "How does information technology improve aggregate productivity? A new channel of productivity dispersion and reallocation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(5), pages 999-1016.
    8. Adedoyin, Festus Fatai & Bekun, Festus Victor & Driha, Oana M. & Balsalobre-Lorente, Daniel, 2020. "The effects of air transportation, energy, ICT and FDI on economic growth in the industry 4.0 era: Evidence from the United States," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    9. Geuna, Aldo & Nesta, Lionel J.J., 2006. "University patenting and its effects on academic research: The emerging European evidence," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(6), pages 790-807, July.
    10. Mirko Draca & Raffaella Sadun & John Van Reenen, 2006. "Productivity and ICT: A Review of the Evidence," CEP Discussion Papers dp0749, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    11. Rodrigo Cifuentes & Jorge Desormeaux, 2005. "Monetary policy and financial integration: the case of Chile," BIS Papers chapters, in: Bank for International Settlements (ed.), Globalisation and monetary policy in emerging markets, volume 23, pages 109-23, Bank for International Settlements.
    12. Khayyat, Nabaz T. & Lee, Jongsu & Lee, Jeong-Dong, 2014. "How ICT Investment Influences Energy Demand in South Korea and Japan?," MPRA Paper 55454, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    13. Madhabendra Sinha & Partha Pratim Sengupta, 2022. "FDI Inflow, ICT Expansion and Economic Growth: An Empirical Study on Asia-Pacific Developing Countries," Global Business Review, International Management Institute, vol. 23(3), pages 804-821, June.
    14. Subal Kumbhakar & Kai Sun, 2012. "Estimation of TFP growth: a semiparametric smooth coefficient approach," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 43(1), pages 1-24, August.
    15. Hyunbae Chun & Jung-Wook Kim & Jason Lee & Randall Morck, 2004. "Patterns of Comovement: The Role of Information Technology in the U.S. Economy," NBER Working Papers 10937, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes

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