Arbeitspapier

The lost race against the machine: Automation, education, and inequality in an R&D-based growth model

We analyze the effects of automation and education on economic growth and inequality in an R&D-based growth model with two types of labor: high-skilled labor that is complementary to machines and low-skilled labor that is a substitute for machines. The model predicts that innovation-driven growth leads to increasing automation, an increasing skill premium, an increasing population share of college graduates, increasing income and wealth inequality, and a declining labor share. In contrast to conventional wisdom, our theory predicts that faster economic growth promotes inequality. Because education and technology are endogenous, redistribution to low-skilled individuals may actually not improve disposable low-skilled income, irrespective of whether it is financed by taxes on labor income or machine input in production. We extend the model by fair wage concerns and show how automation implies involuntary low-skilled unemployment.

Sprache
Englisch

Erschienen in
Series: cege Discussion Papers ; No. 329

Klassifikation
Wirtschaft
Macroeconomics: Production
Aggregate Factor Income Distribution
Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity: General
Thema
Automation
R&D-Based Growth
Inequality
Wealth Concentration
Unemployment
Redistribution

Ereignis
Geistige Schöpfung
(wer)
Prettner, Klaus
Strulik, Holger
Ereignis
Veröffentlichung
(wer)
University of Göttingen, Center for European, Governance and Economic Development Research (cege)
(wo)
Göttingen
(wann)
2017

Handle
Letzte Aktualisierung
10.03.2025, 11:43 MEZ

Datenpartner

Dieses Objekt wird bereitgestellt von:
ZBW - Deutsche Zentralbibliothek für Wirtschaftswissenschaften - Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft. Bei Fragen zum Objekt wenden Sie sich bitte an den Datenpartner.

Objekttyp

  • Arbeitspapier

Beteiligte

  • Prettner, Klaus
  • Strulik, Holger
  • University of Göttingen, Center for European, Governance and Economic Development Research (cege)

Entstanden

  • 2017

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