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Replacement versus Historical Cost Profit Rates: What is the difference? When does it matter?

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  • Deepankar Basu

    (University of Massachusetts, Amherst)

Abstract

This paper explains the BEA methodology for computing historical cost and replacement cost measures of the net stock of capital in the U.S. economy. It is demonstrated that there exists a threshold rate of inflation in the price of capital goods that keeps the percentage difference between the two capital stock measures constant. Hence, over periods when average inflation in the price index for capital goods is equal to the threshold value, historical cost and replacement cost profit rates would show equal percentage changes; an example of such a period for the U.S economy is the whole postwar period 1946–2010. Moreover, trends in both replacement cost and historical cost profit rates display very similar movements over long periods, making the choice of capital stock valuation irrelevant for empirical analysis of profitability trends. JEL Categories: E01, B51

Suggested Citation

  • Deepankar Basu, 2012. "Replacement versus Historical Cost Profit Rates: What is the difference? When does it matter?," UMASS Amherst Economics Working Papers 2012-11, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:ums:papers:2012-11
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    File URL: http://www.umass.edu/economics/publications/2012-11.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gérard Dumesnil & Dominique Levy, 2011. "The crisis of neoliberalism," PSE-Ecole d'économie de Paris (Postprint) halshs-00654682, HAL.
    2. Gérard Dumesnil & Dominique Levy, 2011. "The crisis of neoliberalism," Post-Print halshs-00654682, HAL.
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    Cited by:

    1. Francisco Louçã, 2019. "As Time Went By - Long Waves in the Light of Evolving Evolutionary Economics," SPRU Working Paper Series 2019-05, SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School.
    2. Trofimov, Ivan D., 2022. "Determinants of the profit rates in the OECD economies: A panel data analysis of the Kalecki's profit equation," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 380-397.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    replacement cost; historical cost; capital stock; profitability trends;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E01 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General - - - Measurement and Data on National Income and Product Accounts and Wealth; Environmental Accounts
    • B51 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Current Heterodox Approaches - - - Socialist; Marxian; Sraffian

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