The Productivity of U.S. States Since 1880 / Kris James Mitchener, Ian W. McLean.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mitchener, Kris James.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

McLean, Ian W.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w9445.

NBER working paper series no. w9445

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2003.

Summary:

This study uses state-level variation in labor productivity levels at twenty-year intervals between 1880 and 1980 to examine the relative importance of institutional and geographical influences in explaining observed and persistent differences in standards of living over time and across regions. Focusing on fundamental rather than proximate influences, we find that both institutional characteristics and some physical geography characteristics account for a high proportion of the differences in state productivity levels: states with navigable waterways, a large minerals endowment, and no slaves in 1860, on average, had higher labor productivity levels throughout the sample period. However, we find little support for two other influences that have previously received attention climate and latitude.

Notes:

Print version record

January 2003.