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About us Practical matters How to find us prof. dr. R.C. (Robert) Inklaar

Research interests

My research has focused broadly on understanding differences in economic performance. This includes work on:

Understanding income differences – how to measure cross-country income differences and the role of differences in the availability of human and physical capital and differences in productivity, see the Penn World Table and the associated paper on the Next Generation of the Penn World Table (American Economic Review, 105(10)). My recent work shows that international income differences have been overestimated in recent years.

Understanding economic growth – what can explain growth differences across (advanced) economies. Why did productivity growth accelerate in the US but slow down in Europe? And here too, how sure can we be of observed growth differences? Here I have tried to improve how we measure the role of banks in the economy and how to interpret short-run movements in productivity.

 

Publications

Cross-country income levels over time: Did the developing world suddenly become much richer?

Measuring industry productivity and cross-country convergence

The Next Generation of the Penn World Table

The impact of financial crises and tolerance for uncertainty

Did technology shocks drive the great depression? Explaining cyclical productivity movements in US manufacturing, 1919-1939

Economic growth in Europe - A comparative industry perspective

Capital Measurement and Productivity Growth Across International Databases

Product Variety, the Cost of Living and Welfare Across Countries

Inconsistencies in Cross-Country Price Comparisons over Time: Patterns and Facts

The UK Productivity “Puzzle” in an International Comparative Perspective

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Press/media

Hebben we de inflatie vorig jaar te hoog ingeschat

Heimwee naar 'warme warmte'

Dale Jorgenson: Investment, growth accounting, and economic measurement

Britain’s productivity problem is long-standing and getting worse

Britain’s productivity problem is long-standing and getting worse

Column: Rebasing 'Maddison': The shape of long-run economic development

Column: "De overschatte economische waarde van banken"

Op-ed: "Angus Deaton legt de lat voor economen hoger"

Column: "Nobelprijswinnaar Angus Deaton: een ander soort econoom"

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