Productivity Differences

Daron Acemoglu and Fabrizio Zilibotti

No 2498, CEPR Discussion Papers from C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers

Abstract: Many technologies used by the LDCs are developed in the OECD economies and are designed to make optimal use of the skills of these richer countries' workforces. Differences in the supply of skills create a mismatch between the requirements of these technologies and the skills of LDC workers, and lead to low productivity in the LDCs. Even when all countries have equal access to new technologies, this technology-skill mismatch can lead to sizeable differences in total factor productivity and output per worker. We provide evidence in favour of the cross-industry productivity patterns predicted by our model, and also show that technology-skill mismatch could account for a large fraction of the observed output per worker differences in the data.

Keywords: Development; Directed technical change; Human capital; Intellectual property rights; Labour productivity; Sectoral tfp differences; Technology-skill mismatch; Total factor productivity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F43 O14 O34 O47 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2000-07
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Productivity Differences (2001)
Working Paper: Productivity Differences (1999)
Working Paper: Productivity Differences (1998)
Working Paper: Productivity Differences (1998)
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