The Shape of Production Functions and the Direction of Technical Change

S-Tier
Journal: Quarterly Journal of Economics
Year: 2005
Volume: 120
Issue: 2
Pages: 517-549

Score contribution per author:

8.043 = (α=2.01 / 1 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

This pai>er views the standard production function in macroeconomics as a reduced form and derives its properties from microfoundations. The shape of this production function is governed by the distribution of ideas. If that distribution is Pareto, then two results obtain: the global production function is Cobb-Douglas, and technical change in the long run is labor-augmenting. Kortum showed that Pareto distributions are necessary if search-based idea models are to exhibit steady-state growth. Here we show that this same assumption delivers the additional results about the shape of the production function and the direction of technical change.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:oup:qjecon:v:120:y:2005:i:2:p:517-549.
Journal Field
General
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-25