Just because we have better houses now than we had in the 1980s doesn't mean that there has been productivity growth in construction. It could just mean that Australians are richer now than they were in the 1980s and decided to spend on their houses.
This substack explains why the productivity has been stagnant in the construction sector. It goes into, for example, the history of the bricklaying robot which was patented a hundred years ago but still hasn't been implemented. He also explains why the manufactured homes could have increased productivity but has failed to take off for over a hundred years. It's written by a engineer and not an economist, so it might get a little technical but most of the content remains accessible.
I’m a big fan of Brian and have read every article he has written at that site. I think what I said here is very much consistent with his physical assessments but also i also highlight added measurement issues to generate the number we all talk about.
Just because we have better houses now than we had in the 1980s doesn't mean that there has been productivity growth in construction. It could just mean that Australians are richer now than they were in the 1980s and decided to spend on their houses.
This substack explains why the productivity has been stagnant in the construction sector. It goes into, for example, the history of the bricklaying robot which was patented a hundred years ago but still hasn't been implemented. He also explains why the manufactured homes could have increased productivity but has failed to take off for over a hundred years. It's written by a engineer and not an economist, so it might get a little technical but most of the content remains accessible.
https://open.substack.com/pub/constructionphysics?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=o2bbq
I’m a big fan of Brian and have read every article he has written at that site. I think what I said here is very much consistent with his physical assessments but also i also highlight added measurement issues to generate the number we all talk about.