[go: up one dir, main page]
IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/oxf/wpaper/45.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

The Sun Also Rises: Productivity Convergence Between Japan and the USA

Author

Listed:
  • Gavin Cameron
Abstract
The growth process for a technological leader is different from that of a follower. While followers can grow through imitation and capital deepening, a leader must undertake original research. This suggests that as the gap between the leader and the follower narrows, the follower must undertake more formal R&D and possibly face a slower overall growth rate. This paper constructs measures of relative total factor productivity for eleven Japanese manufacturing industries and uses dynamic panel data methods to test whether a smaller productivity gap leads to slower growth, and whether R&D takes over as the engine of growth as Japan approaches the technological frontier. The results suggest that Japanese and US productivity have been growing at similar rates since the mid-1970s, and that some of the Japanese growth slowdown is attributable to the exhaustion of imitation possibilities.

Suggested Citation

  • Gavin Cameron, 2000. "The Sun Also Rises: Productivity Convergence Between Japan and the USA," Economics Series Working Papers 45, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:oxf:wpaper:45
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:edc3dbfd-81a4-4cf1-9b1e-bdb1df9fa85d
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Susanto Basu & David N. Weil, 1998. "Appropriate Technology and Growth," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 113(4), pages 1025-1054.
    2. Quah, Danny T, 1996. "Twin Peaks: Growth and Convergence in Models of Distribution Dynamics," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 106(437), pages 1045-1055, July.
    3. Bernard, Andrew B & Jones, Charles I, 1996. "Productivity across Industries and Countries: Time Series Theory and Evidence," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 78(1), pages 135-146, February.
    4. Broadberry, S N, 1994. "Technological Leadership and Productivity Leadership in Manufacturing since the Industrial Revolution: Implications for the Convergence Debate," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 104(423), pages 291-302, March.
    5. Marcus Noland & Bela Balassa, 1988. "Japan in the World Economy," Peterson Institute Press: All Books, Peterson Institute for International Economics, number 0412, April.
    6. Denny, Michael & Fuss, Melvyn, 1983. "The Use of Discrete Variables in Superlative Index Number Comparisons," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 24(2), pages 419-421, June.
    7. David, Paul A, 1985. "Clio and the Economics of QWERTY," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 75(2), pages 332-337, May.
    8. Aghion, Philippe & Howitt, Peter, 1992. "A Model of Growth through Creative Destruction," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 60(2), pages 323-351, March.
    9. Barro, Robert J & Sala-i-Martin, Xavier, 1997. "Technological Diffusion, Convergence, and Growth," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 2(1), pages 1-26, March.
    10. Jérôme Vandenbussche & Philippe Aghion & Costas Meghir, 2006. "Growth, distance to frontier and composition of human capital," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 11(2), pages 97-127, June.
    11. Danny Quah, 1996. "Twin Peaks: Growth and Convergence in Models of Distribution Dynamics," CEP Discussion Papers dp0280, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    12. Peter C. B. Phillips & Hyungsik R. Moon, 1999. "Linear Regression Limit Theory for Nonstationary Panel Data," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 67(5), pages 1057-1112, September.
    13. G Cameron & J Proudman & Stephen Redding, 1999. "Productivity Growth, Convergence, and Trade in a Panel of Manufacturing Industries," CEP Discussion Papers dp0428, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    14. White, Halbert, 1980. "A Heteroskedasticity-Consistent Covariance Matrix Estimator and a Direct Test for Heteroskedasticity," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 48(4), pages 817-838, May.
    15. Quah, Danny, 1999. "Cross-Country Growth Comparison: Theory to Empirics," CEPR Discussion Papers 2294, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    16. Bernard, Andrew B & Jones, Charles I, 1996. "Comparing Apples to Oranges: Productivity Convergence and Measurement across Industries and Countries," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 86(5), pages 1216-1238, December.
    17. Gavin Cameron, 2005. "The Sun Also Rises: Productivity Convergence Between Japan and the USA," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 10(4), pages 387-408, December.
    18. Anderson, T. W. & Hsiao, Cheng, 1982. "Formulation and estimation of dynamic models using panel data," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 47-82, January.
    19. Redding, Stephen, 1999. "Dynamic Comparative Advantage and the Welfare Effects of Trade," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 51(1), pages 15-39, January.
    20. Benhabib, Jess & Spiegel, Mark M., 1994. "The role of human capital in economic development evidence from aggregate cross-country data," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 143-173, October.
    21. Robert J. Barro & Xavier Sala-i-Martin, 1991. "Convergence across States and Regions," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 22(1), pages 107-182.
    22. Denny, Michael & Fuss, Melvyn, 1983. "A general approach to intertemporal and interspatial productivity comparisons," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 23(3), pages 315-330, December.
    23. Currie, David, et al, 1999. "Phases of Imitation and Innovation in a North-South Endogenous Growth Model," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 51(1), pages 60-88, January.
    24. M. Denny & J. Bernstein & M. Fuss & S. Nakamura & L. Waverman, 1992. "Productivity in Manufacturing Industries, Canada, Japan and the United States, 1953-1986: Was the 'Productivity Slowdown' Reversed?," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 25(3), pages 584-603, August.
    25. Dan Ben-David & Robin L. Lumsdaine & David H. Papell, 2003. "Unit roots, postwar slowdowns and long-run growth: Evidence from two structural breaks," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 28(2), pages 303-319, April.
    26. Brezis, Elise S & Krugman, Paul R & Tsiddon, Daniel, 1993. "Leapfrogging in International Competition: A Theory of Cycles in National Technological Leadership," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 83(5), pages 1211-1219, December.
    27. Nickell, Stephen J, 1981. "Biases in Dynamic Models with Fixed Effects," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 49(6), pages 1417-1426, November.
    28. Diewert, W. E., 1976. "Exact and superlative index numbers," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 4(2), pages 115-145, May.
    29. Barro, Robert J & Sala-i-Martin, Xavier, 1992. "Convergence," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 100(2), pages 223-251, April.
    30. Baumol, William J. & Nelson, Richard R. & Wolff, Edward N. (ed.), 1994. "Convergence of Productivity: Cross-National Studies and Historical Evidence," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780195083903.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Yucan Liu & C. Richard Shumway & Robert Rosenman & Virgil Eldon Ball, 2011. "Productivity growth and convergence in US agriculture: new cointegration panel data results," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(1), pages 91-102.
    2. Nguyen, Hang T. T., 2024. "Corporate taxation and total factor productivity: Evidence on a non-linear relationship," arqus Discussion Papers in Quantitative Tax Research 284, arqus - Arbeitskreis Quantitative Steuerlehre.
    3. Mardi Dungey & Denise R. Osborn, 2020. "The Gains from Catch‐up for China and the USA: An Empirical Framework," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 96(314), pages 350-365, September.
    4. Dale W. JORGENSON & NOMURA Koji & Jon D. SAMUELS, 2015. "A Half Century of Trans-Pacific Competition: Price level indices and productivity gaps for Japanese and U.S. industries, 1955-2012," Discussion papers 15054, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    5. Wolszczak-Derlacz Joanna, 2014. "The Impact Of Domestic And Foreign Competition On Sectoral Growth: A Cross-Country Analysis," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 66(S1), pages 110-131, December.
    6. Alessandro Sterlacchini & Francesco Venturini, 2013. "Boosting Manufacturing Productivity Through R&D: International Comparisons with Special Focus on Italy," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 13(2), pages 187-208, June.
    7. Gavin Cameron, 2005. "The Sun Also Rises: Productivity Convergence Between Japan and the USA," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 10(4), pages 387-408, December.
    8. Hildegunn E. Stokke, 2009. "Multinational supermarket chains in developing countries: does local agriculture benefit?," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 40(6), pages 645-656, November.
    9. Alessandro Sterlacchini & Francesco Venturini, 2014. "R&D and Productivity in High-Tech Manufacturing: A Comparison between Italy and Spain," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(5), pages 359-379, July.
    10. Bibhuti Sarker, 2023. "Foreign firms in the industry frontier and productivity convergence: Importance of proximity and firm attributes," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 44(2), pages 906-925, March.
    11. Koji Nomura & Kozo Miyagawa & Jon D. Samuels, 2018. "Benchmark 2011 Integrated Estimates of the Japan-U.S. Price Level Index for Industry Outputs," BEA Working Papers 0161, Bureau of Economic Analysis.
    12. Rattsø, Jørn & Stokke, Hildegunn, 2009. "Wage inequality, comparative advantage and skill biased technical change in South Africa," Proceedings of the German Development Economics Conference, Frankfurt a.M. 2009 34, Verein für Socialpolitik, Research Committee Development Economics.
    13. repec:use:tkiwps:2929 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Hildegunn Ekroll Stokke, 2005. "Productivity Growth in Backward Economies and the Role of Barriers to Technology Adoption," Working Paper Series 4905, Department of Economics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
    15. Jørn Rattsø & Hildegunn E. Stokke, 2009. "Trade barriers to growth in South Africa: Endogenous investment-productivity-trade interaction," DEGIT Conference Papers c014_010, DEGIT, Dynamics, Economic Growth, and International Trade.
    16. Jørn Rattsø & Torfinn Harding, 2009. "Looking Abroad, but Lagging Behind: How the World Technology Frontier Affects South Africa," Working Paper Series 10209, Department of Economics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
    17. Raquel Ortega-Argilés, 2013. "R&D, knowledge, economic growth and the transatlantic productivity gap," Chapters, in: Frank Giarratani & Geoffrey J.D. Hewings & Philip McCann (ed.), Handbook of Industry Studies and Economic Geography, chapter 11, pages 271-302, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    18. Tehmina S. Khan, 2006. "Productivity Growth, Technological Convergence, RandD, Trade, and Labor Markets: Evidence From the French Manufacturing Sector," IMF Working Papers 2006/230, International Monetary Fund.
    19. Rachel Griffith & Stephen Redding & Helen Simpson, 2009. "Technological Catch‐Up And Geographic Proximity," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(4), pages 689-720, October.
    20. Shulei Cheng & Wei Fan & Jianlin Wang, 2022. "Investigating the humanitarian labor efficiency of China: a factor-specific model," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 319(1), pages 439-461, December.
    21. Nicholas Apergis & Claire Economidou & Ioannis Filippidis, 2008. "Innovation, Technology Transfer and Labor Productivity Linkages: Evidence from a Panel of Manufacturing Industries," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 144(3), pages 491-508, October.
    22. Francesco Venturini, 2005. "How Much Does IT Consumption Matter for Growth? Evidence from National Accounts," Rivista di Politica Economica, SIPI Spa, vol. 95(1), pages 57-110, January-F.
    23. Halit Yanikkaya & Abdullah Altun & Pınar Tat, 2022. "Does the Complexity of GVC Participation Matter for Productivity and Output Growth?," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 34(4), pages 2038-2068, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rachel Griffith & Stephen Redding & John Van Reenen, 2004. "Mapping the Two Faces of R&D: Productivity Growth in a Panel of OECD Industries," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 86(4), pages 883-895, November.
    2. Badri Narayan Rath, 2019. "Does Total Factor Productivity Converge Among Asean Countries?," Bulletin of Monetary Economics and Banking, Bank Indonesia, vol. 21(12th BMEB), pages 477-494, January.
    3. Pozzolo, Alberto Franco, 2004. "Endogenous Growth in Open Economies - A Survey of Major Results," Economics & Statistics Discussion Papers esdp04020, University of Molise, Department of Economics.
    4. Haupt, Harry & Schnurbus, Joachim & Semmler, Willi, 2018. "Estimation of grouped, time-varying convergence in economic growth," Econometrics and Statistics, Elsevier, vol. 8(C), pages 141-158.
    5. Penna, Christiano Modesto & Linhares, Fabricio Carneiro, 2013. "Há controvérsia entre análises de beta e sigma-convergência no Brasil?," Revista Brasileira de Economia - RBE, EPGE Brazilian School of Economics and Finance - FGV EPGE (Brazil), vol. 67(1), April.
    6. Silvia Dal Bianco, 2016. "Going clubbing in the eighties: convergence in manufacturing sectors at a glance," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 50(2), pages 623-659, March.
    7. Johanna Vogel, 2015. "The two faces of R&D and human capital: Evidence from Western European regions," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 94(3), pages 525-551, August.
    8. Juan Jung, 2012. "Externalities and Absorptive Capacity in a context of Spatial Dependence: The case of European Regions," Documentos de Trabajo (working papers) 2212, Department of Economics - dECON.
    9. Gavin Cameron & James Proudman & Stephen Redding, 1997. "Deconstructing Growth in UK Manufacturing," Bank of England working papers 73, Bank of England.
    10. repec:fgv:epgrbe:v:67:n:1:a:6 is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Cornwell, Christopher Mark & Wächter, Jens-Uwe, 1999. "Productivity convergence and economic growth: A frontier production function approach," ZEI Working Papers B 06-1999, University of Bonn, ZEI - Center for European Integration Studies.
    12. repec:idn:journl:v:1:y:2019:i:sp3:p:1-18 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Sergio J. Rey & Mark V. Janikas, 2005. "Regional convergence, inequality, and space," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 5(2), pages 155-176, April.
    14. Paul Evans, 1998. "Income Dynamics in Regions and Countries," Working Papers 98-09, Ohio State University, Department of Economics.
    15. Basu, Suajta, 2014. "Intergenerational mobility, composition of human capital and distance to frontier," MPRA Paper 59110, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    16. Nazrul Islam, 2003. "What have We Learnt from the Convergence Debate?," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 17(3), pages 309-362, July.
    17. Mark J. Holmes, 2005. "Is Long-Run Output Convergence Associated With International Cooperation? Some New Evidence For Selected African Countries," Journal of Economic Development, Chung-Ang Unviersity, Department of Economics, vol. 30(2), pages 67-85, December.
    18. Leone Leonida, 2023. "What Have We Not Learned from the Convergence Debate?," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-22, April.
    19. Cem Ertur & Julie Le Gallo & Catherine Baumont, 2006. "The European Regional Convergence Process, 1980-1995: Do Spatial Regimes and Spatial Dependence Matter?," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 29(1), pages 3-34, January.
    20. Capolupo, Rosa, 2009. "The New Growth Theories and Their Empirics after Twenty Years," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), vol. 3, pages 1-72.
    21. Barot, Bharat, 2002. "Growth and Business Cycles for the Swedish Economy 1963-1999," Working Papers 79, National Institute of Economic Research.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    economic growth; total factor productivity; catch-up; innovation; heterogeneous dynamic panels;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C13 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Estimation: General
    • C23 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • O30 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - General
    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:oxf:wpaper:45. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Anne Pouliquen (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/sfeixuk.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.