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Malmquist and Törnqvist productivity indexes: returns to scale and technical progress with imperfect competition

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Abstract

Caves, Christensen and Diewert proposed a method for estimating a theoretical productivity index for a firm using Törnqvist input and output indexes, augmented by exogenous estimates of local returns to scale. However, in order to implement their method, they assumed that the firm maximized revenue in each period, conditional on the observed input vector in each period, taking output prices as fixed. This assumption is not warranted when there are increasing returns to scale. Thus in the present paper, it is assumed that the firm solves a monopolistic profit maximization problem when there are increasing returns to scale and the results of Caves, Christensen and Diewert are modified in accordance with this assumption.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Economics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z1, Canada

    W. Erwin Diewert

  2. School of Economics, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia

    Kevin J. Fox

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  1. W. Erwin Diewert
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  2. Kevin J. Fox
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Correspondence to W. Erwin Diewert.

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Diewert, W.E., Fox, K.J. Malmquist and Törnqvist productivity indexes: returns to scale and technical progress with imperfect competition. J Econ 101, 73–95 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00712-010-0137-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00712-010-0137-0

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