Abstract
Most economic theories, both classical and neoclassical, assume a tendency for equalisation in profit rates both among industries within a country and among countries over time.1 Indeed, in the Heckscher-Ohlin model, the key assumption made is that factor prices, both profit rates and wage rates, will tend toward equality both among industries and among countries.2 Moreover, most theories assume that the equilibrating mechanism is the flow of capital to the industries and countries with relatively high profit rates. Surprisingly, the evidence on both of these hypotheses is rather scant.
It should be noted that the views expressed in this chapter are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the World Bank. We would like to acknowledge the excellent research assistance of Maury Gittleman and the helpful comments of Tom Michl and Willi Semmler.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Bain, Joseph S., ‘Relation of Profit Rate to Industry Concentration: American Manufacturing, 1936–1940’, Quarterly Journal of Economics, vol. 65 (1951) pp. 293–324.
Baumol, William J., Sue Anne Blackman and Edward N. Wolff, Productivity and US Leadership: The Long View (Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1989).
Boyer, Robert and Pascal Petit, ‘Employment and Productivity in the EEC’, Cambridge Journal of Economics, vol. 5 (1981) pp. 47–58.
Dickens, William T. and Lawrence Katz, ‘Industry Characteristics and Interindustry Wage Differentials’, in Kevin Lang and Jonathan S. Leonard (eds), Unemployment and the Structure of Labour Markets (New York: Basil Blackwell, 1986).
Dollar, David and Edward N. Wolff, Review of Economics and Statistics, vol. 70, no. 4 (November 1988) pp. 549–58.
Dollar, David, Edward N. Wolff and William J Baumol, ‘Factor Price Equalization Model and Industry Labour Productivity: An Empirical Test Across Countries’, in R. Feenstra (ed.), Empirical Methods for International Trade (Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1987).
Glick, Mark and Hans Ehrbar, ‘Profit Rate Equalization in the US and Europe: An Econometric Investigation’, European Journal of Political Economy, special issue, vol. 4 (1988a) pp. 179–201.
Glick, Mark and Hans Ehrbar, ‘Structural Change in Profit Rate Differentials: The Post War II US Economy’, British Review of Economic Issues, vol. 10 (Spring 1988b) pp. 81–102.
Glick, Mark and Hans Ehrbar, ‘Long-Run Equilibrium in the Empirical Study of Monopoly and Competition’, Economic Inquiry, vol. 28 (January 1990) pp. 151–162.
Hirshleifer, J., Price Theory and Applications (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1976).
Hooper, Peter and Kathryn A. Larin, ‘International Comparisons of Labour Costs in Manufacturing’, Review of Income and Wealth, series 35 (December 1989).
Japan Economic Planning Agency, Department of National Accounts, Economic Research Institute, Gross Capital Stock of Private Enterprises, 1965–1986 (February 1988).
Katz, Lawrence F., ‘Efficiency Wage Theories: A Partial Evaluation’, in S. Fischer (ed.), NBER Macroeconomics Annual 1986 (Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1986).
Krueger, Alan B. and Lawrence H. Summers, ‘Reflections on the Inter-industry Wage Structure’, in Kevin Lang and Jonathan S. Leonard (eds), Unemployment and the Structure of Labour Markets (New York: Basil Blackwell, 1986).
Maddison, Angus, Phases of Capitalist Development (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1982).
Marx, Karl, Capital, vols. 1 and 3 (New York: International Publishers, 1967).
Mueller, Dennis C, Profits in the Long Run (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1986).
Musgrave, John C., ‘Fixed Reproducible Tangible Wealth in the United States: Revised Estimates’, Survey of Current Business, vol. 66, no. 1 (January 1986) pp. 51–75.
Ricardo, David, On the Principles of Political Economy and Taxation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1981).
Smith, Adam, The Wealth of Nations (New York: Random House, 1965).
Stigler, George, Capital and Rates of Return in Manufacturing Industries (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1963).
Summers, Robert and Allan Heston, ‘A New Set of International Comparisons of Real Product and Prices: Estimates for 130 Countries, 1950–1985’, Review of Income and Wealth, series 34 (March 1988) pp. 1–26.
Statistics Canada, Science, Technology and Capital Stock Division, Fixed Capital Flows and Stocks (September 1987).
Ward, Michael, Purchasing Power Parities and Real Expenditures in the OECD (Paris: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 1985).
Wolff, Edward N., ‘Capital Formation and Productivity Convergence’, mimeo (1989).
Copyright information
© 1992 Dimitri B. Papadimitriou
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Wolff, E.N., Dollar, D. (1992). Profit and Wage Convergence and Capital Accumulation Among Industrialised Countries, 1963–83. In: Profits, Deficits and Instability. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-11786-4_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-11786-4_7
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-11788-8
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-11786-4
eBook Packages: Palgrave Economics & Finance CollectionEconomics and Finance (R0)