[lbo-talk] Fitch and Brenner

[Michael Perelman]

I never said that productivity is in decline, just that the data must be 
taken with a grain of salt, or, even better, with attention to the context.

On Sun, Feb 22, 2009 at 12:22:03PM -0500, SA wrote:
> Michael Perelman wrote:
>
>> Productivity can be misleading.  If low productivity producers drop out, 
>> that increases productivity without any improvement in existing 
>> operations.  Also, productivity can increase by outsourcing some work -- 
>> say janitors in a factory.  These outsourced workers can be pushed harder 
>> than unionized workers.
>>   
>
> I don't get what you're arguing here. Are you arguing that productivity 
> growth has actually been in long-term decline? If it has, then the economic 
> statistics must really be worthless to be off by so much. And if the 
> statistics are worthless then how do you know productivity's been in 
> decline?
>
> SA
> ___________________________________
> http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk

-- 
Michael Perelman
Economics Department
California State University
Chico, CA 95929

Tel. 530-898-5321
E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
michaelperelman.wordpress.com