Technology Shocks Matter
I use the neoclassical growth model to identify the effects of technology shocks on the
US business cycle. The model includes two sources of technology shocks: neutral, which
affect the production of all goods homogeneously, and investment-specific. Investmentspecific
shocks are the unique source of the secular trend in the real price of investment
goods, while both shocks are the only factors which affect labor productivity in the
long run. Consistent with previous empirical work which considers only neutral shocks,
the results suggest these shocks account for little, about 6 percent, of the business cycle
variation in hours worked. In contrast, investment-specific shocks account for about 50
percent, a new finding which suggests that technology shocks are an important source
of the business cycle.