Abstract The relative demand for skills has increased considerably in many OECD countries during recent decades. This development is potentially explained by capital-skill complementarity and high growth rates of capital equipment. When production functions are characterized by capital-skill...

In a widely quoted paper-Bernard and Jones, AER December 1996-it is found that productivity in manufacturing does not show evidence of convergence across selected OECD countries. The main message in this comment is that the absence of convergence in manufacturing is not a robust finding. In...

The complementarity between investment in machinery and equipment (M&E) with IT and organizational changes for firm productivity growth is studied in this paper. In order to investigate whether this complementarity is a general phenomenon or rather relates to specific sectors, it is necessary to...

We investigate the effects of automation on total factor productivity (TFP). Using industry‐level panel data for nine countries, we find that a more intensive use of industrial robots has a significantly positive effect on TFP. Specifically, an increase of one standard deviation in the robot...

The role of learning and R&D in economic development is addressed in an endogenous growth model. When human capital is below a threshold level, the model predicts that skills are accumulated as the only growth-generating activity, whereas both innovation activities and learning drive growth...

The role of learning and R&D in economic development is addressed in an endogenous growth model. When human capital is below a threshold level, the model predicts that skills are accumulated as the only growth-generating activity, whereas both innovation activities and learning drive growth...

In a widely quoted paper - Bernard and Jones, AER December 1996 - it is found that productivity in manufacturing does not show evidence of convergence across selected OECD countries. The main message in this note is that the absence of convergence in manufacturing is not a robust finding. In...