Comment on “Unwrapping some euro area growth puzzles: Factor substitution, productivity and unemployment”

This paper estimates the factor elasticity of substitution of the aggregate production function and then uses these estimates to resolve two puzzles relating to the Euro Area. The paper is novel in three ways: First it uses the CES production technology in the empirical strategy to understand real world economic phenomena; second it uses a frontier empirical methodology; and third it uses a new dataset.     

Elasticity of substitution and productivity, capital and skill intensity differences across firms

This paper, instrumented with six theorems, shows that differences between firms in labor productivity, capital intensity and relative demand for skilled labor can be explained by differences in the substitution parameters between capital, skilled and unskilled labor in the presence of skill biased technical change.     

Unwrapping some euro area growth puzzles: Factor substitution, productivity and unemployment

In this paper, we estimate a long run supply-side system incorporating a CES production function with time-varying factor-augmenting technical progress for the euro area over the period 1970–2005. We find that the elasticity of substitution lies below unity at 0.7, that labor-augmenting technical progress is dominant in the long run while capital-augmenting technical progress plays an important role in the interim period. Importantly, we also find evidence of a structural break in the pattern of biased technical progress towards the end of the 1990s. Our results help to solve two puzzles in Europe’s recent growth experience which differ markedly from the US experience. The first is related to the effects of the IT boom in the 1990s on productivity growth in Europe. The second puzzle concerns the changes in the “Okun’s law” relationship, linking growth to the reduction of unemployment, which are observable in Europe since the late 1990s.     

中国技术进步偏向性的测算与分析

借助不变替代弹性生产函数,利用1985—2013年中国的相关数据,测算了中国技术进步的总体偏向性以及资本增强型技术进步和劳动增强型技术进步的变化速率。结果表明:资本与劳动的替代弹性约为0.402,资本与劳动呈现互补特征,且中国的技术进步呈资本偏向性。指出:从技术进步偏向看,独立自主的发展方针、实现国家工业化的目标以及资本和技术的缺乏共同导致了目前中国的技术进步偏向;中国工业化向高技术发展仍会加强技术进步的资本偏向性,并将引发一系列问题。认为短期内中国仍需维持一定规模的传统劳动密集型产业,长期应大力发展人力资本密集的现代服务业等第三产业。     

技术进步偏向对要素收入份额的影响——基于中国工业行业数据的研究

本文利用CES生产函数考察了技术进步偏向与资本一劳动收入份额比值之间的关系,并利用中国工业1979—2011年的数据进行了实证分析。估计结果表明：中国工业的要素替代弹性大于0小于1;资本增强型技术进步变化率小于劳动增强型技术进步变化率,1987年后工业技术进步为劳动节约型的,资本一劳动收入份额比值提高;资本深化、技术进步偏向、外商直接投资以及国际贸易是我国工业资本收入份额持续上升、劳动收入份额持续下降的主要原因,其中劳动节约型技术进步对要素收入份额失衡的影响最大。工业要素分配份额的演变直接体现了国民收入分配格局的失衡,也间接拉大了我国居民之间的收入差距。     

Looking back, looking ahead: Biased technological change, substitution and the wage gap

The implications of ICT on wage inequality are studied by applying a CES production function with skilled and unskilled labour. Skill-biased technological change increases wage inequality. The result is reinforced in a two-sector general equilibrium model if the income elasticity of the demand for high-tech goods and the elasticity of substitution between final goods are larger than one.     

Elasticity of substitution and growth: normalized CES in the Diamond model

Summary. It is often asserted that the more substitutable capital and labor are in the aggregate production the more rapidly an economy grows. Recently this has been formally confirmed within the Solow model by Klump and de La Grandville (2000). This paper demonstrates that there exists no such monotonic relationship between factor substitutability and growth in the Diamond overlapping-generations model. In particular, we prove that, if capital and labor are relatively substitutable, a country with a greater elasticity of substitution exhibits lower per capita output growth in transit and in steady state. Received: October 27, 2001; revised version: February 25, 2002     

Long-run relationships between labor and capital: Indirect evidence on the elasticity of substitution

This paper proposes an indirect method for making empirical inference on the elasticity of substitution between capital and labor. The idea is that estimates of the elasticity may be retrievable from theory derived behavioral equations, by conducting comparative statics with respect to this parameter. This approach is readily applicable to more realistic models than those which are commonly used to derive estimates of the substitution elasticity. It is demonstrated that the conventional approach does not yield sensible estimates on quarterly Finnish manufacturing data. By applying the indirect method, a long-run empirical relationship is found that is consistent with an elasticity of substitution below one.     

Estimating productivity and returns to scale in the US textile industry

In light of the textile industry's growing foreign competition, trade deficit and job loss, we estimate its productivity and efficiency for the period 1975–93 utilizing a variable elasticity of substitution production function. The results indicate that, despite job losses, the industry adjusted by increasing labor productivity and maintaining fairly stable profits. This performance does not warrant protectionist policies. However, with an elasticity of factor substitution less than one and decreasing, the impact of factor price increases could result in higher apparel prices and preference for cheaper imports. Furthermore, with an elasticity of capital output rapidly decreasing, significant technological improvements will be required to improve competitiveness since textile production is capital intensive. Recently revised rules on trade liberalization could increase competition in the industry. First version received: October 1999/Final version received: August 2000     

中国制造业能源替代的区域差异

通过建立超越对数成本函数,首先测算了28个省份制造业资本、劳动和能源的替代关系,随后结合VAR模型,研究了28个省份的石油、电力和天然气对煤炭的替代关系。结果表明:就总体来看,制造业对资本依赖程度明显提高,且资本对劳动力和资本对能源都存在明显替代关系;虽然制造业的劳动力自价格弹性绝对值不断增大,但能源自价格弹性较低,甚至最近几年为正值;制造业生产过程中投入的石油和天然气都可以替代煤炭,但替代能力都较弱。从区域角度看,各地区制造业能源替代差异明显。     

Micro-foundation for a constant elasticity of substitution production function through mechanization

We consider an increase in the range of capital use as a form of mechanization. A constant elasticity of substitution (CES) production function is dynamically derived from Leontief production functions through the endogenous complementary relationship between capital accumulation and mechanization. This implies that a CES production function can be resolved into technological change that does not involve changes in total factor productivity. Furthermore, using the normalizing procedure of the CES production function developed by de La Grandville [de La Grandville, O., 1989. In quest of the Slutsky diamond. American Economic Review 79, 468–481], we investigate how mechanization is related to the elasticity of substitution in our endogenous growth model.     

Increasing marginal impatience and intertemporal substitution

For infinite-horizon models with recursive preferences the condition known as increasing marginal impatience is often adopted, but the condition is not fully understood in the literature. This paper shows that increasing marginal impatience is equivalent to the intuitive property that the substitutability between the consumption levels in two different periods is a decreasing function of the distance between the periods.     

技术进步实现机制和生产要素产出弹性理论假说——来自我国9个发达经济区的实证检验

按照管理、资本和劳动要素的产出弹性关系新的理论假说,利用我国9个发达地区2000-2006年的面板数据对要素产出弹性理论假说进行检验。其结果表明,由于我国在技术进步中一直主要依靠技术引进,缺乏自主创新,从而使技术进步表现为资本增加型,理论假说前提的偏离导致实证分析结果和理论分析结果不一致。这说明,在不同的工业化发展阶段,可以选择的技术进步方式不同,要素投入的组合方式也不同。当前我国应该改变资本投入过快增长的现状,强调管理要素和高素质劳动力投入,通过不断促进技术进步,提高要素的使用效率,实现经济平稳快速增长。     

技术进步中生产要素产出弹性关系假说及其检验

本研究提出了一个生产要素产出弹性关系假说,即在技术中性条件下,管理要素的产出弹性与劳动要素的产出弹性成正比,与资本要素的产出弹性成反比。通过构建自变量包括资本、劳动和管理要素的简单宏观生产模型,理论上证明了上述假说,经验上利用1970-2006年美国的时间序列数据和OECD七国面板数据也较好验证了假说。这种理论假说的分析和研究结果为我国继续回到经济快速增长的轨道而进行的政策选择空间提供了一个方向性指导。     

需求价格弹性分析

在大多数情况下,产品定价时需求价格弹性的计算多使用点弹性公式,这在营销学中是有缺陷的。本文对其进行了 分析,并提出应使用弧弹性公式指导产品定价。     

Openness,productivity and growth in the APEC economies

The 1980s and 1990s have witnessed the emergence of many Asian economies as important traders in the world. How has openness to trade and investment affected productivity and growth performance in those economies? This question is often tackled with the traditional growth regression method. However, the findings in the existing literature are still inconclusive. This paper proposes an alternative approach which is employed to examine the impact of openness on the sources of productivity and growth in the APEC economies. Specifically, the proposed technique distinguishes technological progress (innovation) from efficiency changes (catch-up) and attempts to isolate the influences of openness on these two distinct factors. The findings in this study may help gain fresh insight into the relationship between openness and productivity and growth performance in the APEC economies.First revision received: July 2001/Final revision received: May 2003The author thanks two anonymous referees for very helpful comments.     

外商直接投资、外包对中国制造业劳动需求弹性的影响

中国制造业行业的FDI与外包具有提高中国制造业劳动需求弹性的作用,这一影响是通过替代效应与产出效应两条渠道实现的。FDI流入与外包可能通过提高劳动需求弹性对中国制造业部门劳动者产生较大压力。     

中国进出口价格弹性研究

本文通过建立中国进出口弹性模型和行业计量经济模型,测算和研究了中国进出口弹性问题.主要研究结论是:第一,中国中长期出口价格弹性和进口价格弹性分别为-0.8579和-1.0774;第二,中国大部分行业的出口价格弹性小于1,特别是农业、石油及天然气开采业、纺织业、化学工业、仪器仪表及文化办公用机械制造业以及社会服务业价格弹性绝对值都在0.5左右.适当提高价格对增加这些部门的收入是有利的;第三,中国大部分行业进口需求价格弹性小于或接近于1;石油及天然气开采业的进口价格需求弹性为异常值,为 1.3148,说明:对于原油这样的战略性物资应该反市场操作,中东出现安全时价低时吃进以为战略储备,而出现危机时抛出以平抑国内原油市场价格的加速上扬.     

Comment on “The endogenous aggregate elasticity of substitution for a small open economy”

This note applies the approach of Miyagiwa and Papageorgiou [Miyagiwa, K. and Papageorgiou, C., 2007. Endogenous aggregate elasticity of substitution. Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control 31, 2899–2919] to provide simple frameworks for endogenizing the aggregate elasticity of substitution between capital and labor for a growing small open economy.