Recently, several studies have emphasized the role of R&D expenditure in determining Total Factor Productivity (TFP). In this paper it is shown that the relationship between R&D variables and TFP is far from being established. In particular, by using data for the Italian economy, it is found...

The aim of this paper is to study the main determinants of the productivity growth and its interaction with the business cycle. In particular we investigate which variables are responsible for productivity growth and if recessions are associated with a higher or lower pace of productivity...