Messprobleme bei der Ermittlung des Wachstums der Arbeitsproduktivitaet - dargestellt anhand eines Vergleichs der Schweiz mit den USA

The paper shows that the assessment of the speed of productivity growth crucially depends on how one chooses to measure value added. According to a widely held view, the growth rate of labour productivity has increased significantly in the U.S. since the mid-90s. The U.S. is perceived to outperform most European countries in this respect by a wide margin. Comparing the U.S. with Switzerland, we show this view to rely - at least in part - on statistical artefacts.