teaches in the Economics Department of University College London. She has published extensively o... more teaches in the Economics Department of University College London. She has published extensively on the postwar development of West Germany and more recently on the economics of reunification and the restructuring of the East German economy. Her current research interests include an international comparative study of corporate governance and economic performance and the economics of enterprise restructuring. She is co-author (with David Soskice) of Macroeconomics and the Wage Bargain (Oxford University Press).
... Research Memorandum 574 (GD-13) Herman de Jong and Ronald Albers October 1994 Page 2. Editors... more ... Research Memorandum 574 (GD-13) Herman de Jong and Ronald Albers October 1994 Page 2. Editors: Prof.& JL Bouma Prof.& WK Klein Haneveld Prof.& SK Kuipers Prof.& PSH Leeflang Prof.& A. Maddison Prof.& J. Pen Prof.dr HJ. Wagener Prof.dr T. J. Wansbeek ...
The development of the Dutch economy during the twentieth century has been characterised by major... more The development of the Dutch economy during the twentieth century has been characterised by major changes in structure and substantial variations in growth rates. Some of these changes are similar t o those in many other countries in Northwest Europe, such as the rapid increase in per capita income and produc-
The evolution of city growth is usually studied for relatively short time periods. The rise and d... more The evolution of city growth is usually studied for relatively short time periods. The rise and decline of cities is, however, typically a process that takes many decades or even centuries. In this paper we study the evolution of Italian cities over the period 1300-1861. The first contribution of our paper is that we use various descriptive statistics on individual city sizes and the city-size distribution as a whole to highlight the main characteristics of Italy’s urban system such as the differences between northern and southern Italy. Our second, and main, contribution is that our data allow for panel estimation where city-size is regressed on various geographical, political and other determinants of city size for the period 1300-1861. We show that, although large shocks such as the plague epidemics are clearly visible in the data, the main determinants of Italy’s city growth invariably are physical geography and political predominance. Also the North-South difference turns out t...
This paper presents a German/U.S. comparison of labor productivity in mining and manufacturing fo... more This paper presents a German/U.S. comparison of labor productivity in mining and manufacturing for two benchmark years, 1909 and 1936/35. German manufacturing productivity had a level of ca 56 per cent of the U.S. level in 1909, and around 50 per cent in 1935. Variation across industries was large. Next we analyze for 1909 whether the scale of production has been a decisive factor in the differences in performance between Germany and the U.S. American data on state level show no direct relationship between the average plant size and labor productivity. We do find a positive relationship between labor productivity and the skewness of the distribution of plants size. In turn, skewness is strongly correlated with the number of plants established in a state. From this we draw the tentative conclusion that skewness provides a measure of plant-concentration and captures external economies of scale, flexibility and competition, driving the positive relation with labor productivity. With re...
This paper investigates China’s economic development between 1840 and 1912. We look at living sta... more This paper investigates China’s economic development between 1840 and 1912. We look at living standards and general economic trends in the late Qing dynasty and discuss the reliability of existing estimations of per capita GDP. Secondly, we introduce a new estimate of long-term growth. Our estimation provides for the first time a continuous time series of both nominal and real GDP per capita for the period 1840-1912. We see this as a starting point for further research on 19 th century developments in levels of economic welfare and the performance of the Chinese economy. JEL classification codes: E23 E30 N15 N9 1 We are grateful to Harry Wu, Jan Luiten van Zanden and Bas van Leeuwen for giving us advice and suggestions about data sources. In preparing the first draft, we have received valuable comments from many colleagues, including Pinghan Liang, Dayong Zhang, and participants of the seminars at RIEM, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu, in May 2012; particip...
We present a new estimate of Anglo-German manufacturing output and productivity levels by industr... more We present a new estimate of Anglo-German manufacturing output and productivity levels by industry for 1935/36. It is based on newly explored archival data on German manufacturing together with published British census data. We calculate comparative levels of value added, correcting for differences in prices for outputs and inputs. This so-called double deflation procedure provides new insights into productivity comparisons because output- and input price structures differed greatly between the two countries. Although the new calculations confirm existing results at an aggregate level, they reveal important differences at the industry level and show how Germany was striving for autarky as it prepared its economy for war.
teaches in the Economics Department of University College London. She has published extensively o... more teaches in the Economics Department of University College London. She has published extensively on the postwar development of West Germany and more recently on the economics of reunification and the restructuring of the East German economy. Her current research interests include an international comparative study of corporate governance and economic performance and the economics of enterprise restructuring. She is co-author (with David Soskice) of Macroeconomics and the Wage Bargain (Oxford University Press).
... Research Memorandum 574 (GD-13) Herman de Jong and Ronald Albers October 1994 Page 2. Editors... more ... Research Memorandum 574 (GD-13) Herman de Jong and Ronald Albers October 1994 Page 2. Editors: Prof.& JL Bouma Prof.& WK Klein Haneveld Prof.& SK Kuipers Prof.& PSH Leeflang Prof.& A. Maddison Prof.& J. Pen Prof.dr HJ. Wagener Prof.dr T. J. Wansbeek ...
The development of the Dutch economy during the twentieth century has been characterised by major... more The development of the Dutch economy during the twentieth century has been characterised by major changes in structure and substantial variations in growth rates. Some of these changes are similar t o those in many other countries in Northwest Europe, such as the rapid increase in per capita income and produc-
The evolution of city growth is usually studied for relatively short time periods. The rise and d... more The evolution of city growth is usually studied for relatively short time periods. The rise and decline of cities is, however, typically a process that takes many decades or even centuries. In this paper we study the evolution of Italian cities over the period 1300-1861. The first contribution of our paper is that we use various descriptive statistics on individual city sizes and the city-size distribution as a whole to highlight the main characteristics of Italy’s urban system such as the differences between northern and southern Italy. Our second, and main, contribution is that our data allow for panel estimation where city-size is regressed on various geographical, political and other determinants of city size for the period 1300-1861. We show that, although large shocks such as the plague epidemics are clearly visible in the data, the main determinants of Italy’s city growth invariably are physical geography and political predominance. Also the North-South difference turns out t...
This paper presents a German/U.S. comparison of labor productivity in mining and manufacturing fo... more This paper presents a German/U.S. comparison of labor productivity in mining and manufacturing for two benchmark years, 1909 and 1936/35. German manufacturing productivity had a level of ca 56 per cent of the U.S. level in 1909, and around 50 per cent in 1935. Variation across industries was large. Next we analyze for 1909 whether the scale of production has been a decisive factor in the differences in performance between Germany and the U.S. American data on state level show no direct relationship between the average plant size and labor productivity. We do find a positive relationship between labor productivity and the skewness of the distribution of plants size. In turn, skewness is strongly correlated with the number of plants established in a state. From this we draw the tentative conclusion that skewness provides a measure of plant-concentration and captures external economies of scale, flexibility and competition, driving the positive relation with labor productivity. With re...
This paper investigates China’s economic development between 1840 and 1912. We look at living sta... more This paper investigates China’s economic development between 1840 and 1912. We look at living standards and general economic trends in the late Qing dynasty and discuss the reliability of existing estimations of per capita GDP. Secondly, we introduce a new estimate of long-term growth. Our estimation provides for the first time a continuous time series of both nominal and real GDP per capita for the period 1840-1912. We see this as a starting point for further research on 19 th century developments in levels of economic welfare and the performance of the Chinese economy. JEL classification codes: E23 E30 N15 N9 1 We are grateful to Harry Wu, Jan Luiten van Zanden and Bas van Leeuwen for giving us advice and suggestions about data sources. In preparing the first draft, we have received valuable comments from many colleagues, including Pinghan Liang, Dayong Zhang, and participants of the seminars at RIEM, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu, in May 2012; particip...
We present a new estimate of Anglo-German manufacturing output and productivity levels by industr... more We present a new estimate of Anglo-German manufacturing output and productivity levels by industry for 1935/36. It is based on newly explored archival data on German manufacturing together with published British census data. We calculate comparative levels of value added, correcting for differences in prices for outputs and inputs. This so-called double deflation procedure provides new insights into productivity comparisons because output- and input price structures differed greatly between the two countries. Although the new calculations confirm existing results at an aggregate level, they reveal important differences at the industry level and show how Germany was striving for autarky as it prepared its economy for war.
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Papers by Herman de Jong