Transition dynamics in vintage capital models: explaining the postwar catch-up of Germany and Japan

Simon Gilchrist and John Williams

No 01-1, Working Papers from Federal Reserve Bank of Boston

Abstract: We consider a neoclassical interpretation of Germany and Japan's rapid postwar growth that relies on a catch-up mechanism through capital accumulation where technology is embodied in new capital goods. Using a putty-clay model of production and investment, we are able to capture many of the key empirical properties of Germany and Japan's postwar transitions, including persistently high but declining rates of labor and total-factor productivity growth, a U-shaped response of the capital-output ratio, rising rates of investment and employment, and moderate rates of return to capital.

Keywords: Productivity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2001
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dev, nep-eec and nep-tid
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (20)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Transition dynamics in vintage capital models: explaining the postwar catch-up of Germany and Japan (2004)
Working Paper: Transition Dynamics in Vintage Capital Models: Explaining the Postwar Catch-Up of Germany and Japan (2004)
Working Paper: Transition Dynamics in Vintage Capital Models: Explaining the Postwar Catch-up of Germany and Japan (2001)
Working Paper: Transition dynamics in vintage capital models: explaining the postwar catch-up of Germany and Japan (2001)
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