IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/arx/papers/2509.05386.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

A note on the mechanism of substitution of labour with capital in the production processes

Author

Listed:
  • Vladimir Pokrovskii

Abstract

Considering the production processes, it was noted that the use of various equipment leads to an increase in output -- the phenomenon that is usually described as the substitution of labor with capital. The proposed theory of substitution is based on the assumption that not the quantity of capital (production equipment) does substitute labor, but rather its ability to operate similar to the workers. This is the true content of the substitution of labor by capital. To formulate a correct mechanism of substitution requires considering three factors of production: the amount of production equipment (capital $K$), human activity (labor $L$), and the substitutive capacity of equipment (substitutive work $P$). The technological properties of production equipment are characterized by the technological coefficients $\overline \lambda$ and $\overline \varepsilon$, indicating the amount of labor and energy required to engaged with a unit of equipment. The production function can assume various forms, none of which coincide with the popular Cobb-Douglas expression, which seems to be erroneous in its core.

Suggested Citation

  • Vladimir Pokrovskii, 2025. "A note on the mechanism of substitution of labour with capital in the production processes," Papers 2509.05386, arXiv.org.
  • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:2509.05386
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://arxiv.org/pdf/2509.05386
    File Function: Latest version
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Philippe Aghion & Diego Comin & Peter Howitt & Isabel Tecu, 2016. "When Does Domestic Savings Matter for Economic Growth?," IMF Economic Review, Palgrave Macmillan;International Monetary Fund, vol. 64(3), pages 381-407, August.
    2. Philippe Aghion & Peter Howitt, 2009. "The Economics of Growth," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262012634, December.
    3. Peter C. B. Phillips & Donggyu Sul, 2009. "Economic transition and growth," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 24(7), pages 1153-1185.
    4. Steven N. Durlauf & Paul A. Johnson & Jonathan R. W. Temple, 2009. "The Methods of Growth Econometrics," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Terence C. Mills & Kerry Patterson (ed.), Palgrave Handbook of Econometrics, chapter 24, pages 1119-1179, Palgrave Macmillan.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mark Knell & Simone Vannuccini, 2022. "Tools and concepts for understanding disruptive technological change after Schumpeter," Jena Economics Research Papers 2022-005, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena.
    2. Ufuk Akcigit & Sina T. Ates & Giammario Impullitti, 2018. "Innovation and Trade Policy in a Globalized World," NBER Working Papers 24543, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. James Malley & Apostolis Philippopoulos & Jim Malley, 2023. "Stimulating Long-Term Growth and Welfare in the U.S," CESifo Working Paper Series 10658, CESifo.
    4. Soriano, Franklin A. & Villano, Renato A. & Fleming, Euan M. & Battese, George E., . "What’s driving innovation in small businesses in Australia? The case of the food industry," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 63(01).
    5. Boeing, Philipp & Eberle, Jonathan & Howell, Anthony, 2022. "The impact of China's R&D subsidies on R&D investment, technological upgrading and economic growth," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    6. Blagov, Boris & Funke, Michael, 2019. "The Regime-Dependent Evolution Of Credibility: A Fresh Look At Hong Kong'S Linked Exchange Rate System," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 23(6), pages 2434-2468, September.
    7. Sulekha Hembram & Souparna Maji & Sushil Kr. Haldar, 2019. "Club Convergence among the Major Indian States During 1982–2014: Does Investment in Human Capital Matter?," South Asia Economic Journal, Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka, vol. 20(2), pages 184-204, September.
    8. Tobias Schlegel & Curdin Pfister & Dietmar Harhoff & Uschi Backes-Gellner, 2022. "Innovation effects of universities of applied sciences: an assessment of regional heterogeneity," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 47(1), pages 63-118, February.
    9. Pokrovskii, Vladimir, 2025. "A note on the mechanism of substitution of labour with capital in the production processes," MPRA Paper 126004, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Campiglio, Emanuele & Spiganti, Alessandro & Wiskich, Anthony, 2024. "Clean innovation, heterogeneous financing costs, and the optimal climate policy mix," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    11. Abdou Baoua, Mahamane Moutari & Ay, Ahmet, 2022. "Determinants of Economic Growth in a Least Developed Country: Time Series Analysis for Niger," MPRA Paper 125741, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Magnus Henrekson & Dan Johansson & Johan Karlsson, 2024. "To Be or Not to Be: The Entrepreneur in Neo-Schumpeterian Growth Theory," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 48(1), pages 104-140, January.
    13. Emanuele Campiglio & Alessandro Spiganti & Anthony Wiskich, 2023. "Clean innovation and heterogeneous financing costs," Working Papers 2023: 07, Department of Economics, University of Venice "Ca' Foscari".
    14. Fernandes, Leonardo H.S. & de Araújo, Fernando H.A. & Silva, Igor E.M. & Neto, Jusie S.P., 2021. "Macroeconophysics indicator of economic efficiency," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 573(C).
    15. Alireza Motameni, 2021. "The Impact of Oil Rent, Currency Overvaluation, and Institution Quality, on Economic Growth of Oil-Rich Countries: A Heterogeneous Panel Data Study," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 11(3), pages 483-493.
    16. Benzaim, Samia & Ftiti, Zied & Khedhaouria, Anis & Djermane, Rebai, 2023. "US foreign investments: Technology transfer, relative backwardness, and the productivity growth of host countries," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 275-295.
    17. Rafael Torres Gaviria, 2022. "Horsemen of the apocalypse: The Mongol Empire and the great divergence," Documentos CEDE 20533, Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Economía, CEDE.
    18. Wang, Yong, 2022. "Market structure, factor endowment, and technology adoption," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    19. Kais Mtar & Walid Belazreg, 2023. "On the nexus of innovation, trade openness, financial development and economic growth in European countries: New perspective from a GMM panel VAR approach," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(1), pages 766-791, January.
    20. Amit Roy & Pu Chen & Willi Semmler, 2025. "Carbon Tax Versus Renewable Energy Innovation: Theoretical Insights and Empirical Evidence," Environmetrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 36(3), April.

    More about this item

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    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:arx:papers:2509.05386. 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.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with 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: arXiv administrators (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://arxiv.org/ .

    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.