The effect of the financial crisis on TFP growth: a general equilibrium approach

In this paper, we use a simple endogenous growth model to show how a financial crisis might have a permanent effect on the level of total factor productivity (TFP). In the model, a financial shock leads to a rise in the spread between the rate of interest paid by firms and the risk-free rate. Since firms have to borrow to finance their research and development (R&D) spending, such a rise in the spread leads to a fall in R&D spending, which affects innovation and, hence, reduces TFP growth. In turn, this leads to permanent falls in the levels of output and labour productivity.