From: Gerald_A_Levy@MSN.COM
Date: Fri Sep 23 2005 - 14:59:03 EDT
> Paul David uses the example of electricity to make the case that the > productivity boost comes with a lag. Hi Michael P: One can also make the case that there is in general a productivity lag because of a "learning by doing" process. I.e. the productivity gains (in this case, as a consequence of computer technologies) are only realized after a 'learning' process that occurs as workers use the technologies and as management deploys those technologies for increased efficiency. One also has to get away from thinking of computers as if they were all a single quality. Rather, they have gone through successive 'generations' in design -- each new generation allowing for potentially greater productivity. It should also be noted that part of this process has resulted in newer generations of computers becoming more 'user-friendly' and hence requiring less skill and training before productivity gains can be realized. One could also make the case that productivity gains, like the diffusion period for new means of production, tend to take place over a protracted period rather than all at once and immediately. If viewed from that perspective, it's not a 'paradox' -- it's the norm. In solidarity, Jerry
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