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What Do We Know About the Productivity Slowdown? Evidence from Australian Industry Data

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  • Kevin Fox
Abstract
The productivity slowdown across industrialised countries since around 2004 is a topic of much interest to academic researchers and policy makers alike. As we search for explanations for the slowdown, it is useful to consider what the performance has been at the industry level. This article provides some evidence and perspectives from official Australian industry-level data. While industries have experienced different productivity growth profiles since 1989-90, they all experienced a slowdown after 2003-04. A rise in inefficiency may be one source of this slowdown. Some suggestions for future research directions that may provide a deeper understanding of productivity growth are suggested, in the spirit of a slowdown being too valuable to waste.

Suggested Citation

  • Kevin Fox, 2018. "What Do We Know About the Productivity Slowdown? Evidence from Australian Industry Data," International Productivity Monitor, Centre for the Study of Living Standards, vol. 35, pages 149-156, Fall.
    • Handle: RePEc:sls:ipmsls:v:35:y:2018:8
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    File URL: http://www.csls.ca/ipm/35/Fox.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Thomas Ziesemer, 2023. "Labour-augmenting technical change data for alternative elasticities of substitution: growth, slowdown, and distribution dynamics," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(4), pages 449-475, May.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    multi-factor; industries; Australia; productivity; inefficiency;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O40 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - General
    • D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity

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