Week 3 - Solow-Swan & Romers AK model Flashcards
What production function do we use in the SS model?
A cobb-douglas:
Yt = Kt^a*Lt^1-a, 0<=a<=1
How do you rewrite a CD production function in terms of output and capital per worker?
Divide both sides by L to get:
yt=kt^a
Draw the cobb-douglas PF
Look at slides
True or false: The marginal product of capital is fixed in this model
False. This is true in the HD model.
What is the marginal product of capital?
dyt/dkt = akt^a-1
What is the equation for investment?
Closed economy, so investment comes from saving a fixed fraction of output:
It = St = sYt
What is the equation for the evolution of capital stock?
K˙t = It - δK
K˙ = change in K
δ = depreciation rate
What assumption do we make about the population and the labour force?
Everyone works, so population = labour force
What is the equation for labour force Lt?
Lt = L0e^nt
What is the population growth rate?
(Take logs of both sides then differentiate wrt t)
n
How do you calculate the growth rate of capital per worker? What is it?
- Start with Kt/Lt = kt and take logs from both sides n differentiate wrt t
k˙/k = K˙/K - n
How do you get capital accumulation in per worker terms? What is it?
- Divide the capital accumulation equation by Kt
- sub into growth rate of capital per worker equation (remembering gK = K˙t/Kt)
k˙t = syt - (n + δ)kt
What is syt in the capital per worker equation
Investment per worker
What is (n + δ)kt in the capital per worker equation
Amount of investment per person needed to keep kt constant
Draw the basic Solow diagram
Look at lecture slides for answer
Draw the solow diagram and the production function on the same graph. Label consumption
Look at lecture slides
What happens when you increase the investment rate in the SS model? Show on a diagram
- The steady state of capital per worker increases
- Also increases the level of income per capita in the long run
- Temporary effect on the growth rate of income per capita
What happens when you increase population growth in the SS model? Show on a diagram
The steady state of capital per worker decreases.
How do you find the steady state k*? What is it?
- Where capital per worker is constant, so k˙=0
- solve for k* in the capital accumulation per worker equation
k* = (s/n+δ)^1/1-a
What is the steady state y*?
y* =k*^a = (s/n+δ)^a/1-a
Do changes in s and n have a permanent effect on the growth of output per worker
No, they permanently affect the level of output per worker by temporarily increasing the growth rate whilst on the transition path to the new steady state.