Biased Technical Change, Intermediate Goods and Total Factor Productivity

Biased technical change can be defined as changes that affect the elasticity of output with respect to inputs. In this paper, I analyze the effect of biased technical change on total factor productivity (TFP). I construct an input-output economy in which firms produce gross output using capital, labor and intermediate goods. In equilibrium, biased technical change appears as an explicit part of TFP in the value added aggregate production function, where the latter is obtained through the aggregation of individual firms optimal decisions. A larger elasticity of gross output with respect to intermediates implies a smaller TFP level. I use the model to quantify the impact of biased technical change for measured TFP growth in Italy. The exercise shows that biased technical change can account for the productivity slowdown observed in Italy from 1994 to 2004.