This paper establishes that new inputs increase technical efficiency levels for U.S. manufacturing. Over the period 1950–1998, intermediate inputs exhibited higher rates of efficiency growth than labor and capital. Efficiency-adjusted productivity growth annually averaged 0.4 percentage points above measured growth. The gap between efficiency-adjusted and measured productivity growth arises from aggregating inputs using observed, and not efficiency-adjusted, cost share weights in the calculation of measured growth. Specifically, the decline in efficiency-adjusted material cost shares, compared to the measured shares, coupled with the comparatively high material input growth rate, was the main source of the productivity gap.

Canada is highly integrated with the U.S. economy. This north-south link, coupled with its east-west dimension, also renders Canadian production dependent on communication infrastructure. We investigate the influence of research and development (R&D) spillovers from U.S. manufacturing and Canadian communication infrastructure on Canadian manufacturing. Canadian production becomes relatively more R&D-intensive from communication spillovers. However, manufacturers substitute knowledge from U.S. spillovers for domestic R&D. U.S. spillovers cause production to become more plant- and equipment-intensive. Spillovers also enhance productivity. Communication infrastructure accounted for 8.5% of the growth, with the major source emanating from U.S. spillovers. They contributed 76% of the gains.