The productivity slowdown: Is it the 'new normal'?

Abstract

This paper considers the paradoxical co-existence of a productivity slowdown and exciting new technologies. Several potential explanations are reviewed. It is argued that while some are unpersuasive it is too soon to know which carry the most weight. However, the slowdown does not appear to be an artefact of the data. A key, hotly disputed, issue is the future economic impact of today's technological progress. As with previous general purpose technologies, it is likely that there will be powerful effects but only with a lag. This has the implication that while the slowdown is real it is not necessarily permanent.