Module 12.2 LOS 12.e: Cobb-Douglas growth accounting

The growth in potential GDP can be expressed by the following production function, called the Cobb-Douglas production function:

∆Y/Y = ∆A/A + α×(∆K/K) + (1−α)×(∆L/L)

where:

Y = output

A = technology

K = capital

L = labor

α = elasticity of output with respect to capital = share of income paid to capital

(1 − α) = elasticity of output with respect to labor = share of income paid to labor

We can state this function in words as:

growth rate in potential GDP = long-term growth rate of technology + α (long-term growth rate of capital) + (1 − α) (long-term growth rate of labor)

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