We explore the role of skill non-neutral productivity differences and barriers to technology adoption in explaining cross-country income differences. Using a model of directed technological change modied to include physical capital, technology diffusion and barriers to entry, and a new data set...

We estimate the elasticity of substitution between high-skill and low-skill workers using panel data from 32 countries during 1970-2015. Most existing estimates, which are based only on U.S. micro data, find a value close to 1.6. We bring international data together with a theory-informed macro...

There is much evidence that less democratic countries experience more high-frequency growth volatility. In this paper we report a similar finding about volatility in the medium term: we find evidence that reversals of trend-growth are sharper and more frequent in non-democracies. Motivated by...

In this paper we study long run economic growth as a sequence of accelerations, slowdowns and crises, and estimate the role of institutions and macroeconomic policies in determining this sequence. We analyze the joint effect of policies and institutions on the frequency of the four growth...

development is an independent source of the rise in the skill premium in the US since the 1980s, as well as a factor magnifying the effects of technological progress and trade. We provide evidence in support of the model's predictions.

This paper studies the effects of stock market valuation on research investment, the rate of innovation, and welfare. In the presence of financing constraints for R&D investment, episodes of high market valuation can ease these constraints and raise the economy-wide investment in R&D and the...