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The Economic Journal
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The Economic Journal, io6 (January), 172-183. ? Royal Economic Society I996. Published by Blackwell
Publishers, io8 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 iJF, UK and 238 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02I42, USA.
Nicholas Crafts
There can be no doubt that during the postwar period Britain has experienced
a relative economic decline reflected in inferior growth and productivity
performance. This was particularly pronounced during the 1950S to 1970S and
was especially characteristic of the manufacturing sector. During the i980s
supply-side policy changed dramatically, a more optimistic assessment of
comparative performance became possible, and at last it seemed reasonable at
least to pose the question 'has relative economic decline been reversed?'
While few would deny that there were during the I98os signs of at least a
transitory improvement in many performance indicators, there were wide-
spread fears that the long-run implications of the policy switch were much less
favourable and might even be seriously damaging. Much of this dismay centred
on the rapid deindustrialisation which had occurred and was expressed most
eloquently in a House of Lords Select Committee Report: 'Manufacturing
industry is vital to the prosperity of the United Kingdom ... Our manufacturing
base is dangerously small; to achieve adequate growth from such a small base
will be difficult' and 'The present lack of Government commitment, support
and assistance to industry are damaging to our national interest' (House of
Lords, I 99 I, p. 3, 43) .
Recent work in both theoretical and applied growth economics allows a
better understanding of what went wrong through the I97os and the
implications of what happened in the I98os. After a brief review of some key
ideas, the paper assesses growth and productivity outcomes before and after
I979 and suggests that a mixed verdict on the Thatcher Experiment is
appropriate. Industrial relations reforms increased productivity growth but
there was less immediate success in improving the skills of the workforce or
patenting performance. Against this background, further change may well be
desirable but dire predictions about the consequences of deindustrialisation
seem grossly exaggerated.
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[JAN. I996] DEINDUSTRIALISATION AND ECONOMIC GROWTH I73
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I74 THE ECONOMIC JOURNAL [JANUARY
Table I
Productivity Growth Compared. (0o per year)
United European
Kingdom Median W. Germany
1960-73
GDP/Head 2-6 3-6 3-4
TFP in business sector 2-3 3-0 2.5
Manufacturing labour 50 - 6'i
productivity
I973-9
GDP/head 1-5 2'0 2'5
TFP in business sector o-6 I'4 i'8
Manufacturing labour 0'7 - 34
productivity
I979-89
GDP/Head 2'I I*9 I.7
TFP in Business Sector I'5 1-2 o'8
Manufacturing labour 4.2 2.3
productivity
Sources: Maddison (i99i), OECD (i99i a) and O'Mahony and Wagner (I994); European median refers
to the I2 European countries in Maddison's (I99I) database.
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I996] DEINDUSTRIALISATION AND ECONOMIC GROWTH I 75
Table 2
Accounting for Relative Manufacturing Productivity Levels
Relative
German Relative Percentage point contribution
output per German
person hour TFP Physical Human
(UK = ioo) (UK = ioo) capital capital R&D
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I 76 THE ECONOMIC JOURNAL [JANUARY
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I996] DEINDUSTRIALISATION AND ECONOMIC GROWTH I77
3 These results differ from those in Table 2 because they are estimated rather than obtained by imposing
weights based on factor shares. O'Mahony's estimates imply that there were positive externalities to human
capital. Allowing for this, raises the contribution of human capital in accounting for the British labour
productivity shortfall and generates the implication that TFP in Germany was lower than in the United
Kingdom.
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178 THE ECONOMIC JOURNAL [JANUARY
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I996] DEINDUSTRIALISATION AND ECONOMIC GROWTH I 79
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I8o THE ECONOMIC JOURNAL [JANUARY
V. CONCLUDING COMMENTS
Both policy choices and outcomes since I 979 need to be seen against the context
of and the constraints imposed by the situation which had been allowed to
develop through the previous thirty-five years. Reversing relative economic
decline clearly implied addressing the productivity gap in manufacturing and
a return to the prospects and policies of the I970S would be a desperate fate.
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I996] DEINDUSTRIALISATION AND ECONOMIC GROWTH i8i
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