Total factor productivity, the east Asian miracle, and the world production frontier

Total Factor Productivity, the East Asian Miracle, and the World Production Frontier. — The post WWII growth of the East Asian Tiger states has stimulated the discussion about its determinants. Young and Krugman hold that high capital accumulation rather than gains in efficiency or technological progress has spurred growth. Nelson and Pack, however, have recently criticized the methods of measuring technological progress. Applying the nonparametric approach to frontier production function determination and the Malmquist index of total factor productivity change, the authors take up this criticism. They calculate productivity indicators for a sample of 18 American, Asian, and European countries. For the Tiger states, their results confirm that capital accumulation was the main source of growth in 1960-1973, whereas they find evidence for an increasing importance of efficiency improvements for the growth in 1973-1990.ZusammenfassungTotale FaktorproduktivitÄt, das ostasiatische Wunder und die Weltproduktionsgrenze. — Die Wachstumserfahrung in den so genannten ostasiatischen Tiger-Staaten nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg, gekennzeichnet durch hohe Wachstumsraten, hat die Diskussion über die verursachenden Faktoren stimuliert. Alwyn Young und Paul Krugman vertraten die Auffassung, dass Kapitalakkumulation anstatt der Effizienzverbesserungen oder des technologischen Fortschritts das Wachstum in diesen LÄndern angetrieben hat. Richard Nelson und Howard Pack haben dagegen kürzlich die Methoden zur Messung des technologischen Fortschritts kritisiert. Durch die Anwendung des nichtparametrischen Ansatzes zur Bestimmung von Randproduktionsfunktionen und des Malmquist-Index der totalen FaktorproduktivitÄt tragen wir dieser Kritik Rechnung. Damit berechnen wir ProduktivitÄtsindikatoren für eine Stichprobe von 18 LÄndern Amerikas, Asiens und Europas. Im Fall der Tiger-Staaten bestÄtigen unsere Resultate Krugmans Hypothese für die Jahre 1960-1973. WÄhrend der Jahre 1973-1990 finden wir jedoch Evidenz für eine gestiegene Bedeutung von Effizienzverbesserungen für das Wachstum in diesen LÄndern.

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