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Will the new technologies turn the page on U.S. productivity growth?

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  • Alexopoulos, Michelle
  • Cohen, Jon

Abstract

Is the recent slowdown in productivity likely to persist into the foreseeable future? Amazon.com data are used to create updated indicators of technical change and to establish the relationship between them and productivity growth. They reveal a slowdown in innovative activity in the early 2000s but register a recent uptick linked to innovations in robotics, AI, and cloud-computing. Estimates suggest that if these trends were to continue, large productivity gains are likely to be achieved in the near future.

Suggested Citation

  • Alexopoulos, Michelle & Cohen, Jon, 2019. "Will the new technologies turn the page on U.S. productivity growth?," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 175(C), pages 19-23.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolet:v:175:y:2019:i:c:p:19-23
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econlet.2018.11.027
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Robert J. Gordon, 2016. "The Rise and Fall of American Growth: The U.S. Standard of Living since the Civil War," Economics Books, Princeton University Press, edition 1, number 10544.
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    4. Lone Engbo Christiansen, 2008. "Do Technology Shocks Lead to Productivity Slowdowns? Evidence from Patent Data," IMF Working Papers 2008/024, International Monetary Fund.
    5. Michelle Alexopoulos & Jon Cohen, 2011. "Volumes of evidence: examining technical change in the last century through a new lens," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 44(2), pages 413-450, May.
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    9. Alexopoulos, Michelle, 2008. "Extra! Extra! Some positive technology shocks are expansionary!," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 101(3), pages 153-156, December.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • O3 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights
    • O4 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity
    • E3 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles

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