The Effects of Computer Technologies on the Canadian Economy: Evidence from New Direct Measures

Michelle Alexopoulos and Jon Cohen

International Productivity Monitor, 2012, vol. 23, 17-32

Abstract: New indicators of technical change in the field of computers based on new titles held by Canadian libraries are presented, and are used to demonstrate that a positive computer technology shock in Canada increases hours worked, output, and productivity in the short run. These measures indicate, first, that advances in the implementation of computer technology in Canada are largely influenced by innovations in the United States; and second, when compared to a United States-based indicator, that a gap emerged between United States and Canadian-held titles around the time that the productivity gap emerged between the two countries. Given that a strong, causal relationship is found to exist between the new indicators and total factor productivity, this evidence provides additional support for the hypothesis that crosss-border differences in the development and use of new computer technologies play a key role in explaining Canada’s productivity gap with the United States.

Date: 2012
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.csls.ca/ipm/23/IPM-23-Alexopoulos-Cohen.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sls:ipmsls:v:23:y:2012:2

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.csls.ca

Access Statistics for this article

International Productivity Monitor is currently edited by Andrew Sharpe, Executive Director

More articles in International Productivity Monitor from Centre for the Study of Living Standards 170 Laurier Ave. W, Suite 604, Ottawa, ON K1P 5V5. Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by CSLS ( this e-mail address is bad, please contact ).