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Population Growth and Automation Density: Theory and CrossCountry Evidence

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  • Ana Lucia Abeliansky
  • Klaus Prettner

Abstract

We analyse the effects of declining population growth on automation. Theoretical considerations imply that countries with lower population growth introduce automation technologies faster than those with higher population growth. We test the theoretical implication on panel data for 60 countries over the time span 1993-2013. Regression estimates support the theoretical implication, suggesting that a one percent increase in population growth is associated with an approximately two percent reduction in the growth rate of robot density. Our results are robust to the inclusion of standard control variables, different estimation methods, dynamic specifications, and changes with respect measuring robot stocks.

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  • Ana Lucia Abeliansky & Klaus Prettner, 2021. "Population Growth and Automation Density: Theory and CrossCountry Evidence," VID Working Papers 2102, Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna.
    • Handle: RePEc:vid:wpaper:2102
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Automation; Industrial Robots; Demographic Change; Declining Fertility;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J11 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Demographic Trends, Macroeconomic Effects, and Forecasts
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
    • O40 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - General

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