The R&D Puzzle in U.S. Manufacturing Productivity Growth
![Photo: image of a young woman dressed in white overalls, gloves and safety glasses looking down and working with high-tech equipment in a manufacturing environment.](https://libertystreeteconomics.newyorkfed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/LSE_2024_RD-puzzle_lashkari-pearce_460.jpg?w=920)
In a previous post, we provided evidence for a broad-based slowdown in productivity growth across industries and firms in the U.S. manufacturing sector starting in 2010. Since firms’ investment in research and development (R&D) for new technologies constitutes a central driver of productivity growth, in this post we ask if the observed slowdown in productivity may be due to a decline in R&D. We find that “R&D intensity” has been increasing at both the firm and industry level, even as productivity growth declines. This points to a decline in the effectiveness of R&D in generating productivity growth in U.S. manufacturing.