PRODUCTIVITY, INFLATION, AND INVESTMENT: AN ANALYSIS OF CAUSALITY

This paper elaborates a Vector Error Correction (VEC) in order to determine the causality between inflation and productivity, and between the productivity and investment in Mexico. A VEC allows a causality analysis among cointegrated variables with the same integration order [Hall and Milne, 1994]. This work incorporates the test of constancy in the cointegration rank developed by Quintos (1997). The results show a consistent and bidirectional causality between inflation and productivity. Furthermore, these results denote that some investment components (mainly machinery and equipment imports, and construction) have a strong link with productivity.