Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

The Energy-Capital Relation, Sweden 1870-2000

Kander, Astrid LU and Schön, Lennart (2007) In Structural Change and Economic Dynamics 18(3). p.291-305
Abstract
This paper explores short and long-run changes in the energy to capital relation. The K/E ratio is calculated for Sweden 1870–2000, at the national, industrial and branch levels. A basic result is a substantial long-run increase in the K/E ratio which is positively correlated with the relative price pE/pK. The price response is stronger in energy intensive industries than in labour intensive industries. By considering the useful work (energy services) provided by energy sources, estimated using an aggregate measure of thermodynamic efficiencies, we can conclude, however, that energy services and capital have developed fairly evenly over the 20th century and thus that the long run increase in the K/E ratio depends on embodied biased... (More)
This paper explores short and long-run changes in the energy to capital relation. The K/E ratio is calculated for Sweden 1870–2000, at the national, industrial and branch levels. A basic result is a substantial long-run increase in the K/E ratio which is positively correlated with the relative price pE/pK. The price response is stronger in energy intensive industries than in labour intensive industries. By considering the useful work (energy services) provided by energy sources, estimated using an aggregate measure of thermodynamic efficiencies, we can conclude, however, that energy services and capital have developed fairly evenly over the 20th century and thus that the long run increase in the K/E ratio depends on embodied biased technical change. From a natural resource and environmental perspective it is clear that the economy has managed to cope with relatively less energy over time, but with a stationary (near constant) capital to energy services ratio. From a growth perspective our results indicate high complementarity between energy services and capital. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Capital, Energy services, Complementarity, Substitution, Biased technical change, Economic growth, Economic history
in
Structural Change and Economic Dynamics
volume
18
issue
3
pages
291 - 305
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:34447099775
ISSN
0954-349X
DOI
10.1016/j.strueco.2007.02.002
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
29ec7c30-1ccf-41ea-9548-d104b8ba7998 (old id 1386081)
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 11:23:36
date last changed
2023-03-03 13:03:46
@article{29ec7c30-1ccf-41ea-9548-d104b8ba7998,
  abstract     = {{This paper explores short and long-run changes in the energy to capital relation. The K/E ratio is calculated for Sweden 1870–2000, at the national, industrial and branch levels. A basic result is a substantial long-run increase in the K/E ratio which is positively correlated with the relative price pE/pK. The price response is stronger in energy intensive industries than in labour intensive industries. By considering the useful work (energy services) provided by energy sources, estimated using an aggregate measure of thermodynamic efficiencies, we can conclude, however, that energy services and capital have developed fairly evenly over the 20th century and thus that the long run increase in the K/E ratio depends on embodied biased technical change. From a natural resource and environmental perspective it is clear that the economy has managed to cope with relatively less energy over time, but with a stationary (near constant) capital to energy services ratio. From a growth perspective our results indicate high complementarity between energy services and capital.}},
  author       = {{Kander, Astrid and Schön, Lennart}},
  issn         = {{0954-349X}},
  keywords     = {{Capital; Energy services; Complementarity; Substitution; Biased technical change; Economic growth; Economic history}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{291--305}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Structural Change and Economic Dynamics}},
  title        = {{The Energy-Capital Relation, Sweden 1870-2000}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.strueco.2007.02.002}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.strueco.2007.02.002}},
  volume       = {{18}},
  year         = {{2007}},
}