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Recent Applications and Developments of the Cobb–Douglas Function: From Productivity to Sustainability

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  • Cristian Colther

    (Universidad Austral de Chile)

  • Jean Pierre Doussoulin

    (Universidad Austral de Chile
    Université Gustave Eiffel)

Abstract

The study of production function has a long history. Since the first works in 1928, many studies have explored the relationship between technology and productive factors such as capital and labor. The main purpose of this article is to assess the impact of the Cobb–Douglas function on scientists. This manuscript also aims to continue and update this discussion on Cobb–Douglas contribution-oriented economic research and public policy. This study follows a computational analysis based on the R package using Biblioshiny, a web interface for bibliometrix analysis. This approach provides a positive alternative for studying the Cobb–Douglas literature in traditional economic analysis. The findings demonstrate how the Cobb–Douglas function has aided research on efficiency, productivity, and growth. The fact that the function is expanding its application to concerns about sustainability and environmental economics in China and the USA is one interesting development. Our paper concludes that the Cobb–Douglas contribution has strong potential to address these related challenges in economic research, modeling, and application policy.

Suggested Citation

  • Cristian Colther & Jean Pierre Doussoulin, 2025. "Recent Applications and Developments of the Cobb–Douglas Function: From Productivity to Sustainability," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 16(1), pages 1646-1666, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jknowl:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1007_s13132-024-02061-1
    DOI: 10.1007/s13132-024-02061-1
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