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Solow Model Essay

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What are the main limitations of the Solow model? Discuss with reference to theory and evidence. The Solow Model, also known as the neoclassical growth model or exogenous growth model is a neoclassical attempt created in the mid twentieth century, to explain long run economic growth by examining productivity, technological progress, capital accumulation and population growth. This model was contributed to by the works of Robert Solow, in his essay ‘A Contribution to the Theory of Economic Growth’ and by Trevor Swan in his work, ‘Economic Growth and Capital Accumulation’, both published in 1956. The model is perceived to be an extension of the 1946 Harrod-Domar model, which Solow (1956) describes as a ‘model of long-run growth which …show more content…

Also, technology is regarded to be exogenous and is not explained by the model. Both these assumptions have been used by many economists to critique the model and contribute to the limitations of the model elaborated on further in the essay. What is the Solow Model designed to show? The Solow Model is designed to show how the growth in the labour force, capital stock and advances in technology interact and how they affect a nations total output. The model is important for the analysis of economic growth in developing countries as it demonstrates the nature of an economy to be a key determinant of steady-state capital stock within a country. If the savings rate is high, the economy will have a large capital stock and thus high level of output and vice versa. Correspondingly changes in capital stock can lead to economic growth. The Solow model indicates that countries with high population growth (with no change in capital) will have lower levels of output per person. In the model therefore, population growth capital per worker and output per worker are constant. Correspondingly, the aim of the Solow Model becomes clear: it is to show that an economy will incline towards a long-run equilibrium K/L (k) ratio at which Y/L (y) is also in equilibrium, so that Y, K and L all grow at the same rate, that is n. Ultimately the model predicts long run equilibrium at the natural

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