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AUTOMATION, STAGNATION, AND THE IMPLICATIONS OF A ROBOT TAX

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

Emanuel Gasteiger  and
Klaus Prettner
Emanuel Gasteiger*
Affiliation:
TU Wien and Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL)
Klaus Prettner
Affiliation:
University of Hohenheim
*
Address correspondence to: Emanuel Gasteiger, TU Wien, Institute of Statistics and Mathematical Methods in Economics, Wiedner Hauptstr. 8-10, 1040 Wien, Austria. e-mail: emanuel.gasteiger@tuwien.ac.at. Phone: (+43) 15880110533.
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Abstract

We assess the long-run growth effects of automation in the overlapping generations framework. Although automation implies constant returns to capital and, thus, an AK production side of the economy, positive long-run growth does not emerge. The reason is that automation suppresses wage income, which is the only source of investment in the overlapping generations model. Our result stands in sharp contrast to the representative agent setting with automation, where sustained long-run growth is possible even without technological progress. Our analysis therefore provides a cautionary tale that the underlying modeling structure of saving/investment decisions matters for the derived economic impact of automation. In addition, we show that a robot tax has the potential to raise per capita output and welfare at the steady state. However, it cannot induce a takeoff toward positive long-run growth.

Keywords

AutomationRobot taxesStagnationEconomic growthFiscal policy

Information

Type
Articles
Information
Macroeconomic Dynamics , Volume 26 , Issue 1 , January 2022 , pp. 218 - 249
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2020

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Footnotes

We would like to thank the editor William Barnett, an anonymous associate editor, two anonymous referees, and Yueqing Hao for helpful comments and suggestions. Financial support from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (UIDB/00315/2020), the Berlin Economics Research Associates program, and the Faculty of Business, Economics, and Social Sciences at the University of Hohenheim within its research focus “Inequality and Economic Policy Analysis (INEPA)” is gratefully acknowledged. All remaining errors are the responsibility of the authors.

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