This paper assesses the standard data on output, labor input, and capital input, which imply one big wave' in multi-factor productivity (MFP) growth for the United States since 1870. The wave-like pattern starts with slow MFP growth in the late 19th century, then an acceleration peaking in...

The 17 seminal essays by Robert J. Gordon collected here, including three previously unpublished works, offer views on the principal topics of macroeconomics - namely, growth, inflation, and unemployment. The author re-examines their salient points in a creative, accessible introduction that...

In recent decades the American economy has experienced the worst peace-time inflation in its history and the highest unemployment rate since the Great Depression. These circumstances have prompted renewed interest in the concept of business cycles, which Joseph Schumpeter suggested are "like the...