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Productivity and the Business Cycle in Japan -Evidence from Japanese Industry Data -

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  • Tsutomu Miyagawa
  • Yukie Sakuragawa
  • Miho Takizawa

Abstract

Constructing thirty-seven industries database, we examines whether measured productivity in Japan is procyclical and investigates the sources of that procyclicality using the production function approach employed by Hall (1990) and Basu and Fernald (1995). At the aggregate level, the measured Solow residual shows procyclicality. Large numbers of industries show constant returns to scale. No significant evidence for the presence of thick-market externalities is found. Our results also hold when we consider labor hoarding, part-time employment, and the adjustment cost of investment. The results suggest policies to revitalize the Japanese economy should concentrate on promoting productivity growth.

Suggested Citation

  • Tsutomu Miyagawa & Yukie Sakuragawa & Miho Takizawa, 2005. "Productivity and the Business Cycle in Japan -Evidence from Japanese Industry Data -," Discussion papers 05022, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    • Handle: RePEc:eti:dpaper:05022
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Miles S. Kimball & John G. Fernald & Susanto Basu, 2006. "Are Technology Improvements Contractionary?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 96(5), pages 1418-1448, December.
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    4. Kyoji Fukao & Hyeog Ug Kwon, 2006. "Why Did Japan'S Tfp Growth Slow Down In The Lost Decade? An Empirical Analysis Based On Firm‐Level Data Of Manufacturing Firms," The Japanese Economic Review, Japanese Economic Association, vol. 57(2), pages 195-228, June.
    5. Shigeru Wakita, 1997. "Chronic Labour Hoarding: Direct Evidence from Japan," The Japanese Economic Review, Japanese Economic Association, vol. 48(3), pages 307-323, September.
    6. Tom Krebs, 2003. "Growth and Welfare Effects of Business Cycles in Economies with Idiosyncratic Human Capital Risk," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 6(4), pages 846-868, October.
    7. Vecchi, Michela, 2000. "Increasing Returns, Labour Utilization and Externalities: Procyclical Productivity in the United States and Japan," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 67(266), pages 229-244, May.
    8. Burnside, Craig & Eichenbaum, Martin & Rebelo, Sergio, 1993. "Labor Hoarding and the Business Cycle," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 101(2), pages 245-273, April.
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    Cited by:

    1. Masayuki Morikawa, 2011. "Economies of Density and Productivity in Service Industries: An Analysis of Personal Service Industries Based on Establishment-Level Data," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 93(1), pages 179-192, February.
    2. NAKAJIMA Takanobu, 2007. "Is Retail Service Productivity Really Low in Japan? -- Numerical experiment based on Shepard's model --," ESRI Discussion paper series 193, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
    3. Joseph Junior Aduba & Behrooz Asgari, 2020. "Productivity and technological progress of the Japanese manufacturing industries, 2000–2014: estimation with data envelopment analysis and log-linear learning model," Asia-Pacific Journal of Regional Science, Springer, vol. 4(2), pages 343-387, June.

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