Productivity in the OECD Countries: A Critical Appraisal of the Evidence

27 Pages Posted: 31 Jan 2006

Date Written: June 2001

Abstract

The failure of the neoclassical growth model to account for differences in output per worker across countries has suggested that these differences should be driven by cross-country differences in total factor productivity (TFP). This paper discusses various measures of productivity and its determinants for the OECD countries from different dimensions: (i) the measurement perspective; (ii) evidence on the evolution of productivity levels across OECD countries; and (iii) a critical review of the theoretical and empirical issues regarding the determinants of cross-country productivity differentials.

Keywords: Economic growth, total factor productivity (TFP), cross-country productivity differentials

JEL Classification: O40, O47, O52

Suggested Citation

Calderon, Cesar A., Productivity in the OECD Countries: A Critical Appraisal of the Evidence (June 2001). IMF Working Paper No. 01/89, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=879629

Cesar A. Calderon (Contact Author)

Central Bank of Chile ( email )

Agustinas 1180
Santiago
Chile