[PEN-L:10980] Re: K/Y ratios

[ceyhun@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Fikret Ceyhun)]

>> Sorry if the subject heading seems racier than it turns out to be...
>>
>> Anyway, what, if anything, does it mean that the U.S. has the lowest
>> capital/output ratio in the OECD? Here are some numbers for 1996, from the
>> OECD in Figures, 1997 edition:
>>
>> CAPITAL/OUTPUT RATIO, BUSINESS SECTOR, 1996
>>
>> Australia       2.87
>> Austria         3.71
>> Belgium         2.89
>> Canada          2.46
>> Denmark         3.87
>> Finland         3.57
>> France          2.93
>> Germany         2.75
>> Greece          2.48
>> Ireland         2.09
>> Italy           2.82
>> Japan           2.55
>> Netherlands     2.18
>> Norway          3.43
>> Spain           2.60
>> Sweden          2.89
>> Switzerland     3.21
>> UK              2.81
>> US              1.91
>>
>> Doug
>>

>I guess it could mean one of two things:
>
>(1) Capital intensive firms in the US somehow are really more productive;
>(2) Relative to other countries, the US has had more productivity gains
>through speed-ups than through mechanization.
>
>Is this a trick question?
>
>Curious,
>Tavis
>
>


One other possible explanation for low capital output ratio in the United
States is that K/Ys are correlated with Marx' concept of the organic
composition of capital. When  organic composition of capital is low then
the rate of profit is high, assuming that the rate of surplus value is the
same (or not lower). Since statistically profit rates are higher in the
U.S. then OCC must be low.

Fikret.