--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-33/sources-of-productivity-and-economic-growth-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean-1990-2013/" title: "Sources of Productivity and Economic Growth in Latin America and the Caribbean, 1990-2013" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-13T07:42:37+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-13T07:42:37+00:00" post_type: "ipm" summary: "" ipm_issue_period: - "Fall 2017" ipm_keyword: - "1990-2013" - "capital services" - "Caribbean" - "commodity boom" - "ECLAC" - "growth accounting" - "LA KLEMS" - "labour quality" - "Latin America" - "TFP" ipm_research_theme: - "Productivity trends and comparisons" ipm_country_focus: - "Argentina" - "Brazil" - "Caribbean" - "Chile" - "Latin America" - "Mexico" featured_image: "https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IPM_50_banner.webp" status: "publish" --- # Sources of Productivity and Economic Growth in Latin America and the Caribbean, 1990-2013 Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-33/sources-of-productivity-and-economic-growth-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean-1990-2013/ # Sources of Productivity and Economic Growth in Latin America and the Caribbean, 1990-2013 [Download full PDF article](https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IPM-Issue-33-4-Hofman-Aravena-Friedman.pdf) Cite this article × Cite this article as: Hofman, André, Claudio Aravena, and Jorge Friedman. 2017. “Sources of Productivity and Economic Growth in Latin America and the Caribbean, 1990-2013.” International Productivity Monitor, No. 33 (Fall 2017): 51–76. https://www.csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-33/sources-of-productivity-and-economic-growth-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean-1990-2013/ ## Authors: - André Hofman University of Santiago (USACH); ECLAC - Claudio Aravena University of Santiago (USACH); ECLAC - Jorge Friedman University of Santiago (USACH); ECLAC ## IPM Issue 33 Fall 2017 pp. 51–76 ## Related IPM articles [Efficiency Adjustment of Hours Worked: Two Possible Modifications of a Jorgensen Production Model Barbara Fraumeni Fall 2025 | IPM Issue 49 | pp. 103–115](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-49/efficiency-adjustment-of-hours-worked-two-possible-modifications-of-a-jorgensen-production-model/) [Labour Productivity as a Measure of Technological Change Ulrich Kohli Fall 2025 | IPM Issue 49 | pp. 64–81](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-49/labour-productivity-as-a-measure-of-technological-change/) [The Relationship between Efficiencies Defenses for Mergers and TFP Growth Robin Shaban Fall 2025 | IPM Issue 49 | pp. 82–102](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-49/the-relationship-between-efficiencies-defenses-for-mergers-and-tfp-growth/) [IPM Issue 49 Editors’ Overview Andrew Sharpe, Bart van Ark, Paul Schreyer Fall 2025 | IPM Issue 49 | pp. 1–2](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-49/) [The UK Productivity Slowdown: A Review of Timing, Magnitude, and Drivers Josh Martin Spring 2025 | IPM Issue 48 | pp. 1–34](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-48/the-uk-productivity-slowdown-a-review-of-timing-magnitude-and-drivers/) [Appendix: UK Productivity Growth Rates Across Data Vintages and Studies Josh Martin Spring 2025 | IPM Issue 48 | pp. 65–73](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-48/appendix-uk-productivity-growth-rates-across-data-vintages-and-studies/) [Opportunities and Risks of Artificial Intelligence for Productivity Francesco Filippucci, Peter Gal, Katharina Laengle, Matthias Schief, Filiz Unsal Spring 2025 | IPM Issue 48 | pp. 1–26](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-48/opportunities-and-risks-of-artificial-intelligence-for-productivity/) [Data Appendix: International Comparison of UK Productivity John Van Reenen, Xuyi Yang Spring 2024 | IPM Issue 46 | pp. 38–82](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-46/data-appendix-international-comparison-of-uk-productivity/) [Cracking the Productivity Code: An International Comparison of UK Productivity John Van Reenen, Xuyi Yang Spring 2024 | IPM Issue 46 | pp. 60–82](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-46/cracking-the-productivity-code-an-international-comparison-of-uk-productivity/) [Appendix: EUKLEMS & INTANProd Industry Coverage and Intangible Asset Treatment Filippo Bontadini, Carol Corrado, Jonathan Haskel, Massimiliano Iommi, Cecilia Jona-Lasinio, Tsutomu Miyagawa Spring 2024 | IPM Issue 46 | pp. 1–4](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-46/appendix-euklems-intanprod-industry-coverage-and-intangible-asset-treatment/) ## Abstract ## Résumé EN FR Copy link Email LinkedIn This article examines growth experiences of 23 Latin American and English-speaking Caribbean countries from 1990 to 2013. We carry out three types of exercises. The first exercise for the 23 countries in the region uses the traditional methods to measure capital, labour, and efficiency or total factor productivity (TFP). The second exercise focuses on the Latin American countries only. The labour measure (L) is improved through the introduction of a quality adjustment to hours worked, while the capital measure includes capital services. The exercises reveal that as the input measures improve, the efficiency measure (TFP), which is usually positive and statistically explains a large share of observed growth, becomes increasingly negative for all groups of countries and all sub-periods. The only exception is the boom period of 2003–2008. A third exercise uses the LA-KLEMS database to disaggregate the data into nine industries. For each industry, we identify three characteristics of the labour factor and eight types of capital assets. The disaggregated data are only available for Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico. Based on this more disaggregated analysis, we put forward hypotheses on the factors that determine growth and discuss implications for public policies. In this article, we address recent efforts to quantitatively measure what pushes our econo- Cet article examine les expériences de croissance de 23 pays d’Amérique latine et des Caraïbes anglophones de 1990 à 2013. Nous effectuons trois types d’exercices. Le premier, pour les 23 pays de la région, utilise les méthodes traditionnelles pour mesurer le capital, la main-d’œuvre et l’efficience ou la productivité multifactorielle (PMF). Le second se concentre uniquement sur les pays d’Amérique latine, où la mesure de la main-d’œuvre est améliorée par l’introduction d’un ajustement de qualité aux heures travaillées et où la mesure du capital comprend les services du capital. Les exercices révèlent qu’à mesure que les mesures des intrants s’améliorent, la mesure de l’efficience (PMF) devient de plus en plus négative pour tous les groupes de pays et toutes les sous-périodes, la seule exception étant la période de boom 2003-2008. [Download full PDF](https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IPM-Issue-33-4-Hofman-Aravena-Friedman.pdf)