EH.N: CfP: XVth WEHC -- Session on International Comparison of Output and Productivity in History

[S.N.Broadberry at warwick.ac.uk]

Call for Papers: XVth World Economic History Congress Session

Utrecht, 3-7 August 2009

International Comparison of Output and Productivity in History

International comparison of output and productivity is important in 
economic history research because it addresses the compatibility of 
income, welfare and costs of production between countries and more 
importantly, it also facilitates empirical tests of theories that 
attempt to explain earlier economic development. Such comparison relies 
on the measure of purchasing power parity (PPP) or similar quantitative 
approaches, and is thus highly data-intensive. This proposed session 
will encourage researchers to present their studies using PPP or other 
quantitative approaches to international comparison in economic history. 
As well as discussing methodological issues and data problems, the 
session will encourage discussion of the implications for the process of 
economic development.

Because of the highly demanding data requirements, the field has in the 
past developed only slowly. Recently, however, there has been an 
increase in the number of studies comparing output and productivity in 
the first half of the twentieth century, drawing upon abundant price 
information from the past, combined with production census material 
where available. This provides a useful cross-check on time series 
projections of productivity from the present, which have hitherto 
provided the only quantitative estimates of comparative productivity 
performance in the pre-World War II period. One striking development has 
been the application of the approach to comparisons between Asian 
economies, and between Asia, Europe and North America, as well as to 
comparisons between European economies and between Europe and North America.

Paper deadlines:
The deadline for proposals is 14 February 2009. Please submit paper 
titles and outlines to the organizers at the email addresses below.

Organizers:
Kyoji Fukao (Hitotsubashi University)
k.fukao at srv.cc.hit-u.ac.jp

Harry X. Wu (Hong Kong Polytechnic University)
afhxwu at inet.polyu.edu.hk

Stephen Broadberry (University of Warwick)
S.N.Broadberry at warwick.ac.uk


Professor Stephen Broadberry

Department of Economics
University of Warwick
Coventry
CV4 7AL
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 2476 523446
Fax: +44 2476 523032
Email: S.N.Broadberry at warwick.ac.uk
Webpage: 
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/staff/faculty/broadberry/