Growth and business cycles : Swedish manufacturing industry 1952-2001

This study shows that the mechanisms behind knowledge accumulation and the sources of productivity growth differ from industry to industry depending on what is produced and what technology is used. Although it is apparent to most researchers in the field that the only way to explain long-run growth in output per capita is through technological progress and accumulation of knowledge that counteract the dampening effect of diminishing returns, we are still in the dark about how such mechanisms operate. By focusing on the importance of separating industrial sectors with different methods of production and thereby including the possibility of TFP reflecting various growth mechanisms for diverse industries, this thesis tries to rethink the history of productivity growth in the Swedish manufacturing industry. A unique dataset, for the period 1952 to 2001, makes it possible to distinguish labour-intensive, capital- intensive and knowledge-intensive industries.