Working Paper Series no. 87: The effects on GDP growth of ICT: the case of France over a long period (1980-2000) (In French)

Abstract

The contribution of information and communication technology (ICT) to GDP growth and labour productivity growth in France is estimated to lie between 0.2 % and 0.3 % per year over the entire 1980-2000 period. According to our estimates, it increased sharply in the second half of the 1990s, in sync with the rise in the contribution of total factor productivity (TFP). The contribution of ICT was twice as strong in the service sector than in industry. Total factor productivity was much higher in the ICT-producing sectors than in those using it. Our estimates show that, in qualitative terms, productivity gains in Europe are close to those in the US, where the quantitative contribution appears nevertheless much stronger.

Gilbert Cette, Jacques Mairesse and Yusuf Kocoglu
December 2001