Energy price changes and the induced revaluation of durable capital in U.S. manufacturing during the OPEC decade

When energy prices increased suddenly and unexpectedly in 1973-74 and 1979-80, a portion of the long-lived capital stock in U.S. manufacturing was rendered economically less valuable. In this paper we develop an analytical framework, consistent with the theory of cost and production, that provides a...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Berndt, Ernst R., Wood, David O.
Published: [Cambridge, Mass.] : Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Center for Energy Policy Research, 1984 2011
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/60595
_version_ 1826205464693571584
author Berndt, Ernst R.
Wood, David O.
author_facet Berndt, Ernst R.
Wood, David O.
author_sort Berndt, Ernst R.
collection MIT
description When energy prices increased suddenly and unexpectedly in 1973-74 and 1979-80, a portion of the long-lived capital stock in U.S. manufacturing was rendered economically less valuable. In this paper we develop an analytical framework, consistent with the theory of cost and production, that provides an appealing structural interpretation of this capital revaluation phenomenon.
first_indexed 2024-09-23T13:13:33Z
id mit-1721.1/60595
institution Massachusetts Institute of Technology
last_indexed 2024-09-23T13:13:33Z
publishDate 2011
publisher [Cambridge, Mass.] : Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Center for Energy Policy Research, 1984
record_format dspace
spelling mit-1721.1/605952019-04-12T11:48:00Z Energy price changes and the induced revaluation of durable capital in U.S. manufacturing during the OPEC decade Durable capital in U.S. manufacturing during the OPEC decade, Energy price changes and the induced revaluation of. Berndt, Ernst R. Wood, David O. When energy prices increased suddenly and unexpectedly in 1973-74 and 1979-80, a portion of the long-lived capital stock in U.S. manufacturing was rendered economically less valuable. In this paper we develop an analytical framework, consistent with the theory of cost and production, that provides an appealing structural interpretation of this capital revaluation phenomenon. In the spirit of a putty-clay model, we demonstrate that the capital -revaluation elasticity is the negative of the ex ante substitution elasticity between energy and capital equipment. The model is implemented empirically with annual data from U.S. manufacturing, 1958-81, and vintage investment data since 1929. Maximum likelihood estimation is undertaken with nonstatic expectations of future relative price values treated as an unobservable ariables problem. Our principal empirical findings are (i) that the elasticity of capital valuation with respect to relative energy price increases -- the capital revaluation elasticity -- is between -0.234 and -0.543 in U.S. manufacturing, and (ii) that by 1981 the appropriately revalued capital stock is at least 13% less than traditional measures indicate. We also consider implications of capital revaluation for the measurement of capital-labor ratios, age-shadow price profiles, and vintage-specific Tobin's q's. 2011-01-14T22:40:36Z 2011-01-14T22:40:36Z 1984 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/60595 11999650 Energy Laboratory report (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Energy Laboratory) no. MIT-EL 84-003. 48 p application/pdf [Cambridge, Mass.] : Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Center for Energy Policy Research, 1984
spellingShingle Berndt, Ernst R.
Wood, David O.
Energy price changes and the induced revaluation of durable capital in U.S. manufacturing during the OPEC decade
title Energy price changes and the induced revaluation of durable capital in U.S. manufacturing during the OPEC decade
title_full Energy price changes and the induced revaluation of durable capital in U.S. manufacturing during the OPEC decade
title_fullStr Energy price changes and the induced revaluation of durable capital in U.S. manufacturing during the OPEC decade
title_full_unstemmed Energy price changes and the induced revaluation of durable capital in U.S. manufacturing during the OPEC decade
title_short Energy price changes and the induced revaluation of durable capital in U.S. manufacturing during the OPEC decade
title_sort energy price changes and the induced revaluation of durable capital in u s manufacturing during the opec decade
url http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/60595
work_keys_str_mv AT berndternstr energypricechangesandtheinducedrevaluationofdurablecapitalinusmanufacturingduringtheopecdecade
AT wooddavido energypricechangesandtheinducedrevaluationofdurablecapitalinusmanufacturingduringtheopecdecade
AT berndternstr durablecapitalinusmanufacturingduringtheopecdecadeenergypricechangesandtheinducedrevaluationof
AT wooddavido durablecapitalinusmanufacturingduringtheopecdecadeenergypricechangesandtheinducedrevaluationof