This paper generalizes the Nelson-Phelps catch-up model of technology diffusion. We allow for the possibility that the pattern of technology diffusion can be exponential, which would predict that nations would exhibit positive catch-up with the leader nation, or logistic, in which a country with a sufficiently small capital stock may exhibit slower total factor productivity growth than the leader nation.We derive a nonlinear specification for total factor productivity growth that nests these two specifications. We estimate this specification for a cross-section of nations from 1960 through 1995. Our results support the logistic specification, and are robust to a number of sensitivity checks.Our model also appears to predict slow total factor productivity growth well. 22 of the 27 nations that we identify as lacking the critical human capital levels needed to achieve faster total factor productivity growth than the leader nation in 1960 did achieve lower growth over the next 35 years.
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ReDIF This chapter was published in: Philippe Aghion & Steven Durlauf (ed.) Handbook of Economic Growth, , chapter 13, pages 935-966, 2005.
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This chapter was published in the following book, which is listed on IDEAS: Philippe Aghion & Steven Durlauf (ed.), 2005.
"Handbook of Economic Growth,"
Handbook of Economic Growth,
Elsevier,
edition 1, volume 1, number 1, September.
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Find related papers by JEL classification: O0 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - General
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.:
Zvi Griliches, 1998.
"The Search for R&D Spillovers,"
NBER Chapters,
in: R&D and Productivity: The Econometric Evidence, pages 251-268
National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
[Downloadable!]
Sachs, Jeffrey D & Warner, Andrew M, 1997.
"Fundamental,"
American Economic Review,
American Economic Association, vol. 87(2), pages 184-88, May.
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