Will the “True” Productivity Series Please Stand Up? Identifying Inconsistencies Across Productivity Series
系统研究了美国行业层面全要素生产率序列在不同数据库间的一致性，发现大量不一致，包括农业部门，并分析了产出和投入变量差异的原因，呼吁方法标准化。
ABSTRACT We conduct a systematic empirical investigation into the consistency of competing industry‐level total factor productivity (TFP) series in the United States, including the crop and animal production or farm sector. We apply an algorithm based on time‐series methods to three widely‐used databases frequently utilized by researchers to study productivity. Our analysis reveals a substantial proportion of inconsistent industry‐level TFP series across these databases, including those for the farm sector. We further investigate the potential causes of such discrepancies by examining the consistency of the individual output and input variables used in the calculation of the TFP series. Individual input and output series pairs show different patterns of inconsistency across databases. Our findings highlight the need for publishing agencies and researchers to explore opportunities for methodological standardization.