The Disappointing Recovery of Output after 2009

63 Pages Posted: 26 Jun 2017 Last revised: 1 May 2022

See all articles by John G. Fernald

John G. Fernald

Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco

Robert E. Hall

Hoover Institution and Department of Economics, Stanford University; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

James H. Stock

Harvard University - Department of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS)

Mark W. Watson

Princeton University - Princeton School of Public and International Affairs; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Date Written: June 2017

Abstract

U.S. output has expanded only slowly since the recession trough in 2009, even though the unemployment rate has essentially returned to a pre-crisis, normal level. We use a growth-accounting decomposition to explore explanations for the output shortfall, giving full treatment to cyclical effects that, given the depth of the recession, should have implied unusually fast growth. We find that the growth shortfall has almost entirely reflected two factors: the slow growth of total factor productivity, and the decline in labor force participation. Both factors reflect powerful adverse forces that are largely unrelated to the financial crisis and recession—and that were in play before the recession.

Suggested Citation

Fernald, John G. and Hall, Robert E. and Stock, James H. and Watson, Mark W., The Disappointing Recovery of Output after 2009 (June 2017). NBER Working Paper No. w23543, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2992438

John G. Fernald (Contact Author)

Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco ( email )

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HOME PAGE: http://www.frbsf.org/economics/economists/jfernald.html

Robert E. Hall

Hoover Institution and Department of Economics, Stanford University ( email )

Stanford, CA 94305-6010
United States
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National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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James H. Stock

Harvard University - Department of Economics ( email )

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617-496-5960 (Fax)

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) ( email )

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Mark W. Watson

Princeton University - Princeton School of Public and International Affairs ( email )

Princeton University
Princeton, NJ 08544-1021
United States

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

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