Technological Progress and Economic Transformation

Abstract

Growth theory can go a long way toward accounting for phenomena linked with U.S. economic development. Some examples are: (i) the secular decline in fertility between 1800 and 1980, (ii) the decline in agricultural employment and the rise in skill since 1800, (iii) the demise of child labor starting around 1900, (iv) the increase in female labor-force participation from 1900 to 1980, (v) the baby boom from 1936 to 1972. Growth theory models are presented to address all of these facts. The analysis emphasizes the role of technological progress as a catalyst for economic transformation.

Dualism and cross-country growth regressions

“…(1997), Falkinger and Grossman (2005), Galor, Moav and Vollrath (2005), Mountford (2004, 2006), Galor and Weil (2000), Gemmell and Lloyd (2002), Rogerson (2002, 2002), Graham and Temple (2006), Greenwood and Seshadri (2005), Greenwood and Uysal (2005), Gylfason and Zoega (2004), Hansen and Prescott (2002), Humphries and Knowles (1998), Jeong and Townsend (2005), Kongsamut, Rebelo and Xie (2001), Laitner (2000), Lucas (2004), Ngai and Pissarides (2004), Paci and Pigliaru (1999), Restuccia, Yang, and Zhu (2006), Robertson (1999), Temple (2001Temple ( , 2004, Temple and Voth (1998) and Weisdorf (2006). Some of these papers have a quantitative component; for example, Rogerson (2002, 2004) investigate the role of agriculture and home production in long-run development, using calibrated models.…”

Explaining Changes in Female Labor Supply in a Life-Cycle Model

“…For example, Olivetti (2006) uses a four period model and estimates of the returns to experience to show the e¤ect that increases in the returns to experience have on hours worked by women. Greenwood and Seshadri (2002) measure the impact of technological progress on the increase in women's participation, while Greenwood et al (2005) focus on the role played by changes in home production (with the development and di¤usion of many household appliances) in explaining the increased labour force participation of women. Jones, Manuelli and McGrattan (2003) investigate the e¤ect on average hours worked by women of the decrease in the wage gender gap as well as the e¤ect of technological progress.…”

Foreign Aid Policy and Sources of Poverty: A Quantitative Framework

“…5 This preference specification is a simple way of capturing the idea that parents value both the quantity and the quality of their children. It has been used extensively in the literature on fertility and growth (for example, Galor and Weil, 2000;Greenwood and Seshadri, 2005;Hazan and Berdugo, 2002;Moav, 2005;and Lord and Rangazas, 2006). Adults inelastically supply one unit of labor when young, and zero units when old.…”