Guide to the Moses Abramovitz and Paul A. David papers SC1609

Bradley Strauss, Hanna Ahn

Department of Special Collections and University Archives

February 2023, April 2024

Green Library

557 Escondido Mall

Stanford 94305-6064

Fax Number: (650) 723-8690

specialcollections@stanford.edu

URL: https://library.stanford.edu/libraries/special-collections

Contributing Institution: Department of Special Collections and University Archives

Title: Moses Abramovitz and Paul A. David papers

Identifier/Call Number: SC1609

Physical Description: 12 Linear Feet

Date (inclusive): 1947-2000

Physical Location: Special Collections and University Archives materials are stored offsite and must be paged 48 hours in advance. For more information on paging collections, see the department's website: http://library.stanford.edu/spc.

Language of Material: English .

Conditions Governing Access

Materials are open for research use. Audio-visual materials are not available in original format, and must be reformatted to a digital use copy.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Gavin Wright, Professor Emeritus, 2022.

Biographical Summary

Moses Abramovitz and Paul A. David were prominent economists who made significant contributions to the study of economic growth and its impact on economies. Moses Abramovitz was born on January 1, 1912, and was raised in Brooklyn, New York. Due to an infection, Abramovitz passed away on December 1, 2000 at age 88. He completed his bachelor's degree in economics summa cum laude at Harvard University. Abramovitz focused on the concept of economic catch-up and the factors driving faster growth in less developed countries. He emphasized the role of technological progress and innovation in narrowing the income gap between nations. Paul A. David was born on May 24, 1935, and was also raised in New York. Due to complications of Alzheimer's disease, he passed away on January 23, 2023 at age 87. David also completed his degree on economics at Harvard University. Paul A. David's work revolved around the economics of innovation and technological change. His influential paper on the QWERTY keyboard layout challenged the prevailing belief that technological standards are always determined by efficiency. David argued that path-dependence and network effects played a crucial role in shaping the adoption of certain technologies. This perspective broadened the understanding of innovation dynamics. Paul A. David also helped Stanford become a renowned center for economic history by bringing in esteemed figures to the Department of Economics faculty. Moses Abramovitz provided the foundation for the university's reputation in the area, but Paul A. David's team of academics solidified it. Their contributions to the area of new economic history, or cliometrics were among their most remarkable accomplishments. Both Abramovitz and David's research has had a significant impact on the field of growth theory. Their contributions have deepened the understanding of economic growth processes, the role of technological advancements, and the influence of historical and institutional factors on economic development. Their papers continue to be highly regarded and influential in the field of economics.

Preferred Citation

[identification of item] Moses Abramovitz and Paul A. David papers (SC1609). Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif.

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of papers on economic growth impact and theory. Specific materials include research data, professional correspondence, notes, manuscripts, and publications created by Moses Abramovitz and Paul A. David.

Conditions Governing Use

While University Archives is the owner of the physical and/or digital items, permission to examine collection materials is not an authorization to publish. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. Any transmission or reproduction beyond that allowed by fair use requires permission from the owners of rights, heir(s) or assigns.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Economics -- Research.

Stanford University -- Faculty.

Economics -- United States -- Studying and Teaching.

Papers Accession ARCH-2022-079

Box 1, folder 1

Economic Growth in the United States: Chapter 1 1965 July

Box 1, folder 2

Economic Growth in the United States: Chapter 2 and Appendix A 1965 July

Box 1, folder 3

Economic Growth in the United States: Chapter 2 Notes and Comments 1965 March

Box 1, folder 4

Economic Growth in the United States: Chapter 5 1965 July

Box 1, folder 5

Economic Growth in the United States: Chapter 5 Statistical Tables

Box 1, folder 6

Economic Growth in the United States: Chapter 6

Box 1, folder 7

Economic Growth in the United States: Chapter 6 Appendices A and B

Box 1, folder 8

Economic Growth in the United States: Chapter 7

Box 1, folder 9

Economic Growth in the United States: Chapter 7 Appendix, Tables, and Notes

Box 1, folder 10

Economic Growth in the United States: Chapter 8

Box 1, folder 11

Economic Growth in the United states: Chapter 8 Appendices, Tables, and Correspondence

Box 1, folder 12

Economic Growth in the United States: Worksheets 1964

Box 1, folder 13

Economic Growth in the United States: Worksheets on Manhours 1964

Box 1, folder 14

Raw Data for Economic Growth Project: Labor 1840 - 1963

Box 1, folder 15

Notes and Data for Economic Growth Project: Population and Work

Box 1, folder 16

Paper: SSRC Growth Study

Box 1, folder 17

SSRC Growth Study: Correspondence 1964

Box 1A, folder 1

SSRC Growth Study: Preliminary Notes on the Postwar and Long-Term Growth Experience of the US 1969

Box 1, folder 19

CEHUS Growth Project: American Macroeconomic Growth in the Era of Knowledge-Based Progress: The Long-Run Perspective 1999 August

Box 1, folder 20

CEHUS Growth Project: American Economic Growth in the Twentieth Century 1996 August

Box 1, folder 21

CEHUS Growth Project: Notes and Worksheets for Part I 1996-1997

Box 1, folder 22

CEHUS Growth Project: Notes and Correspondence for Part II 1998

Box 1, folder 23

CEHUS Growth Project: Notes and Correspondence for Part II 1998

Box 1, folder 24

CEHUS Growth Project: Notes for Part III 1998 January

Box 1, folder 25

CEHUS Growth Project: Notes and Tables 1996

Box 1A, folder 2

CEHUS Growth Project: Notes and Correspondence 1994-1998

Box 1A, folder 3

CEHUS Growth Project: Correspondence 1997-1998

Box 2, folder 1

Comparative Growth Study: Notes 1966-1968

Box 2, folder 2

Comparative Growth Study: Notes and Data

Box 2, folder 3

Growth paper: Edinburgh lectures, Long-Term Tendencies in the Postwar Growth of Industrialized Countries 1974

Box 2, folder 4

Growth paper: Edinburgh lectures, Postwar Economic Growth in Industrialized Countries Viewed as a Response to Backwardness 1974

Box 2, folder 5

Growth paper: Edinburgh lectures, Notes on Structural Changes and the Role of Labor Supply in Postwar Economic Growth 1974

Box 2, folder 6

Growth paper: Edinburgh lectures, Likeness and Contracts Between the Investment Booms of the Postwar Period and Earlier Period in Relation to Long Swings in Economic Growth 1974

Box 2, folder 7

Growth paper: Thinking About Growth

Box 2, folder 8

Growth paper: Thinking About Growth, Chapter 1 Drafts and Notes

Box 2, folder 9

Growth paper: Thinking About Growth, Chapter 2 Drafts and Notes 1984

Box 2, folder 10

Growth paper: Thinking About Growth, Chapter 3 Drafts and Notes 1986

Box 2, folder 11

Growth paper: Thinking About Growth, "Resource Output Trends in the United States Since 1970"

Box 2, folder 12

Growth paper: Thinking About Growth, "Manpower, Capital, and Technology"

Box 2, folder 13

Growth paper: Thinking About Growth, Correspondence and Notes 1982-1991

Box 2, folder 14

Growth paper: Thinking About Growth, Reviews and Correspondence 1989-1994

Box 2, folder 15

Growth paper: Thinking About Growth, Notes 1984

Box 2, folder 16

Growth paper: Preliminary Notes on the Post-War and Long-Term Growth Experience of the United States 1964

Box 2, folder 17

Growth paper: What is Our Present Understanding of the Rapid Growth of Industrialized, Market Economies in the Postwar Period 1977 March

Box 2, folder 18

Growth paper: Postwar Growth and the Future 1984-1987

Box 2, folder 19

Growth paper: Notes on Postwar Productivity Growth, The Play of Potential and Realization 1989 March

Box 2, folder 20

Growth paper: Catch-up and Convergence in the Postwar Growth Boom and After

Box 2, folder 21

Growth paper: The Monetary Side of Long Swings in US Economic Growth 1970-1973 April

Box 2, folder 22

Growth paper: The Monetary Side of Long Swings in US Economic Growth 1973

Box 2, folder 23

Growth paper: The Monetary Side of Long Swings in US Economic Growth 1973

Box 2, folder 24

Growth paper and notes: The Monetary Side of Long Swings in US Economic Growth 1973

Box 2, folder 25

Growth paper: The Monetary Side of Long Swings in US Economic Growth, Correspondence and Comments 1973-1976

Box 2, folder 26

Growth paper: Long Swings in US Economic Growth

Box 2, folder 27

Paper: Oxford Seminar, Long Swings

Box 3, folder 1

Growth paper: Long Swings in the Economic Growth of the United States 1959

Box 3, folder 2

Growth paper: The Long Swings in Growth Since World War II, draft #1

Box 3, folder 3

Growth paper: The Long Swings in Growth Since World War II, draft #2

Box 3, folder 4

Growth paper: The Monetary and Balance of Payments Aspects of Long Swings in Economic Growth in the USA under Specie Standard 1930-1940, notes and drafts

Box 3, folder 5

Growth paper: The Monetary and Balance of Payments Aspects of Long Swings in Economic Growth in the USA under Specie Standard 1930-1940, notes 1972

Box 3, folder 6

Growth paper: The Balance of Payments and the Growth of the Money Stock draft #2

Box 3, folder 7

Growth paper: The Balance of Payments and the Growth of the Money Stock, notes and correspondence 1970

Box 3, folder 8

Paper: The Role of Inventories in Business Cycles 1948

Box 3, folder 9

Paper: Economic Goals and Social Welfare in the Next Generation 1958

Box 3, folder 10

Paper: Evidence of Long Cycles in Aggregate Construction 1961

Box 3, folder 11

Paper: The US Balance of Payments Problem: Prospects and Implications 1962

Box 3, folder 12

Paper: Sources of Productivity Gains 1962

Box 3, folder 13

Paper: The Economic Relations Between the OECD and the Developing Countries 1963

Box 3, folder 14

Growth paper: The Relation between Growth Rates and Relative Levels of Output per Capita in Developed Countries 1968 August

Box 3, folder 15

Paper: Passing of the Kuznets Cycle 1968

Box 3, folder 16

Growth notes and correspondence with John Scadding 1969-1970

Box 3, folder 17

Paper: The Interdependence of Manpower Development, Capital Formation and Technological Progress 1970

Box 3, folder 18

Growth paper: Towards Historically Relevant Parables of Growth 1971-1972

Box 3, folder 19

Growth paper: Economic Growth in Amerca: A New Interpretation 1972

Box 3, folder 20

Growth paper: American Economic Growth: Imported or Indigenous 1976 September

Box 3, folder 21

Paper: In Pursuit of Full Employment 1976

Box 3, folder 22

Notes for Parables and Realities Growth paper 1976

Box 3, folder 23

Growth paper: The Outlook for Growth: Prospects and Problems in the Industrialized, Capitalist Economies 1977 July

Box 3, folder 24

Paper: Determinants of Nominal Income and Money-Stock Growth and the Level of Balance of Payments: Two-Country Models Under a Specie Standard 1977

Box 3, folder 25

Growth: Comments on Postwar Growth Potential and Its Realization and Follow-Up Comments, Tokyo Conference 1977

Box 3, folder 26

Growth: Comments on Rapid Growth Potentials and Its Realization and Follow-Up Comments, Tokyo Conference 1977

Box 3, folder 27

Growth : Comments on "Sources of Agricultural Growth in Japan, 1880-1965" and "Kuznets and Juglar Cycles During the Industrialization of 1874-1940 by growth cycle approach" for Tokyo Conference 1977

Box 3, folder 28

Paper: Notes on International Differences in Productivity Growth Rates 1978

Box 3, folder 29

Working Paper: Economies of Scale , Structure of Production, and the Process of "Catching-Up" 1978

Box 3, folder 30

Working Paper: Muddling Along the Middle Way 1979

Box 3, folder 31

Paper: Welfare Quandaries and Productivity Concerns 1980

Box 3, folder 32

Growth paper: Economic Growth and Welfare, Correspondence with Cambridge University Press for Permissions 1986

Box 3, folder 33

Growth paper: Analytic History of the Postwar Growth Boom in the Industrialized Countries 1987 November

Box 3, folder 34

Growth paper: Economic Growth: A First Encounter, drafts #1 and #2 1987-

Box 3, folder 35

Paper: Followng and Landing 1988

Box 3, folder 36

Working Paper: Notes on Postwar Productivity Growth: The Play of Productivity and Realizations 1989

Box 3, folder 37

Growth paper: The Elements of Social Capability 1991

Box 3, folder 38

Growth paper: The Search for the Sources of Growth: Areas of Ignorance, Old and New 1993 February

Box 3, folder 39

Comments on "American Growth in an International Perspective" and "The Slowdown" 1997

Box 3, folder 40

Growth paper: American Economic Growth Across Two Centuries 1995 May

Box 3, folder 41

Growth paper: The Bases of Productivity Leadership and the Limits of Convergence 1995 August

Box 3, folder 42

Growth paper: Technological Change and the Rise of Intangible Investments 1995 December

Box 3, folder 43

Growth paper: Economic Growth and Welfare in Affluent Countries, Outline

Box 3, folder 44

Growth paper: The Postwar Productivity Spurt and Slowdown Factors of Potential and Realization

Box 3, folder 45

Growth paper: The Origins of the Postwar Catch-up and Convergence Boom

Box 3, folder 46

Growth paper: Unidentified outline 1966

Box 4, folder 1

Growth paper: The Relations Between the Conditions of International Trade in Goods and Financial Assets and the Growth of Money tock Under a Specie Standard, Appendix A

Box 4, folder 2

Growth paper: Fluctuations in Growth, draft #1, pt #1

Box 4, folder 3

Growth paper: Fluctuations in Growth, draft #1, pt #2

Box 4, folder 4

Growth paper: Fluctuations in Growth, draft #2

Box 4, folder 5

Growth paper: Fluctuations in Growth, outline 1969

Box 4, folder 6

Growth paper: Fluctuations in Growth, chart #1 notes and data

Box 4, folder 7

Growth paper: Fluctuations in Growth, Worksheets for Tables and Appendices

Box 4, folder 8

Growth paper: Two Centuries of Measured Economic Growth, notes

Box 4, folder 9

Growth paper: The Great Growth Boom

Box 4, folder 10

Growth paper: The Great Growth Boom, Outline and Notes

Box 4, folder 11

Growth paper; Structural Change and Productivity Growth

Box 4, folder 12

Growth paper: Economic Growth and its Discontents

Box 4, folder 13

Unidentified Chapter on Depressions

Box 4, folder 14

Comments on: Stock of Money in US

Box 4, folder 15

Unidentified Chapter: Hours

Box 4, folder 16

Paper: The Retreat from Economic Advance: Changing Ideas About Economic Progress

Box 4, folder 17

Paper: The Model in Operation: Problems of Interpretation and Verification, Section IV

Box 4, folder 18

Paper: A Model of the Relations between the Balance of Payments, Money Stock, and Nominal Income under a Specie Standard, Section III

Box 4, folder 19

Paper: Likeness and Contrasts Between the Investment Booms of the Postwar Period and Earlier Period in Relation to Long Swings in Economic Growth

Box 4, folder 20

Paper: Economics of Growth

Box 4, folder 21

Review: Business Cycles and Economic Policy 1947

Box 4, folder 22

Book Review: Economic Policy and Full Employment 1947

Box 4, folder 23

Book Review: Economic Progress- Papers and Proceedings of a Round Table held by the International Economic Association 1955

Box 4, folder 24

Review: Business Cycles and Economic Growth 1958

Box 4, folder 25

Comments on: A General View of Natural Resources in Economic Growth 1960

Box 4, folder 26

Review: Postwar Economic Growth: Four Lectures 1966

Box 4, folder 27

Review: Is the Business Cycle Obsolete 1970

Box 4, folder 28

Review: Towards an Exploration of Economic Growth 1983

Box 4, folder 29

Comments on: Inventory Fluctuations in the United States Since 1929 1984

Box 4, folder 30

Comments on: The Earnings Gap in Historical Perspective 1985

Box 4, folder 31

Comments on: Wealth, Income, and Consumption in a Developing Economy 1986

Box 4, folder 32

Data: labor, 1790-1970

Box 4, folder 33

Data: labor, productivity, and demographics, 1800-1970

Box 4, folder 34

Data: Easterlin labor and demographic data, 1870-1975

Box 4, folder 35

Data and correspondence: Easterlin demographic and labor data 1958

Box 4, folder 36

Data: Measures of Output, 1869-1957

Box 4, folder 37

Data: Measures of Output, 1790-1960

Box 5, folder 1

Data: Incorporations, 1800-1957 1958

Box 5, folder 2

Data: country-level economic data, 1860-1967

Box 5, folder 3

Data: country-level economic data, 1830-1967

Box 5, folder 4

Data: country-level economic data, 1860-1967

Box 5, folder 5

Data: country-level economic data, 1830-1967

Box 5, folder 6

Data: Railroad Industry, 1830-1965

Box 5, folder 7

Data: Migration, 1820-1960

Box 5, folder 8

Data and Tables: Panzar Series 1971

Box 5, folder 9

Data: Patents, 1810-1950

Box 5, folder 10

Data: Bank-Earnings Ratios, 1860-1960

Box 5, folder 11

Data: Money Suppply, 1830-1950

Box 5, folder 12

Data: Consumer Goods, 1870-1950

Box 5, folder 13

Data: Real Estate, 1869-1960

Box 5, folder 14

Data: Number of Lots, 1840-1930

Box 5, folder 15

Data: Land Sales, 1800-1960

Box 5, folder 16

Data: Mortgages, Rents, Real Estate, 1850-1960

Box 5, folder 17

Data: Capital, 1770-1980

Box 5, folder 18

Data: Capital, 1860-1960

Box 5, folder 19

Data: Capital, 1840-1960

Box 6, folder 1

Data: Construction, 1870-1960

Box 6, folder 2

Data: Construction, 1870-1960

Box 6, folder 3

Data: Construction, 1850-1960

Box 6, folder 4

Data: Merchant Vessels Built, 1850-1950

Box 6, folder 5

Data: Commercial Paper Rates, 1836-1955

Box 6, folder 6

Data: Gross Private Saving, 1869-1908

Box 6, folder 7

Data: Inventory Investment, 1860-1960

Box 6, folder 8

Data: Private Long-Term Investment, 1870-1950

Box 6, folder 9

Data: Communications Industry, 1870-1960

Box 6, folder 10

Data: Total Input, 1810-1960

Box 6, folder 11

Data: Favtor Shares and Rate of Return, 1800-1929

Box 6, folder 12

Data: Federal Expenditures, 1810-1870

Box 6, folder 13

Data: Interest Rates, 1815-1862

Box 6, folder 14

Data: Stock Prices, 1815-1960

Box 6, folder 15

Data: Capital and Railraod Share Prices, 1840-1920

Box 6, folder 16

Data: Relative COuntry Standings, 1870-1970

Box 6, folder 17

Data: Earnings 1960

Box 6, folder 18

Data: Percentage Employed, Trade Union Members, 1908-1922

Box 6, folder 19

Data: Population and Migration, 1870-1960

Box 6, folder 20

Data: Households, 1900-1960

Box 6, folder 21

Data: National Product, 1860-1960

Box 6, folder 22

Data: National Product, 1790-1970

Box 6, folder 23

Data: National Product, 1830-1960

Box 6, folder 24

Data: Labor, 1940-1965

Box 6, folder 25

Data and Figures: Growth Rates of Deflators and GDP/GNP, 1870-1920

Box 6, folder 26

Data: Growth Rate of Money, 1835-1935

Box 6, folder 27

Data: Century of Growth, 1870-1970

Box 6, folder 28

Data: Production, GDP, and Growth, 1790-1970

Box 6, folder 29

Data and Figures: Monetary Aspets of Long Swings in the UK

Box 6, folder 30

Data and Figures: Long Swings in Money and Nominal Income

Box 6, folder 31

Data: Long Swings Charts

Box 6, folder 32

Data and Figures: Seminar Paper on Long Swings

Box 6, folder 33

Data: Kendrick's Capital Stock Extension 1964

Box 6, folder 34

Data: Gallman vs A/D

Box 7, folder 1

Data and Correspondence: Population and Labor Force 1964

Box 7, folder 2

Data and Correspondence: GDP by Industry 1964

Box 7, folder 3

Data and Correspondence: Labor and Real GDP 1964

Box 7, folder 4

Data and Correspondence: Data for Growth Projects 1964-1965

Box 7, folder 5

Data and Correspondence: R.C.O. Matthews 1973

Box 7, folder 6

Lectures: Long Swings in Economic Growth 1974

Box 7, folder 7

Notes: Long Swings 1972

Box 7, folder 8

Notes on: American Economic Growth Across Two Centuries 1995

Box 7, folder 9

Notes on: Economic Growth and its Discontents

Box 7, folder 10

Notes for ND, PAD

Box 7, folder 11

Outline: The Economic Consequences of Technological Progress

Box 7, folder 12

Outline: Basic Factors in the Economic Development of Industrialized Countries Before WWII

Box 7, folder 13

Correspondence 1963

Box 7, folder 14

Moses Abramovitz Correspondence 1964-1973

Box 7, folder 15

Correspondence on an Amendment to Require a Balanced Budget 1979

Box 7, folder 16

The Portable Stanford, Stanford Alumni Association, Moses Abramovitz Correspondence 1983-1986

Box 7, folder 17

Correspondence: MA with Dr. Angus Maddison on OECD paper 1990

Box 7, folder 18

Moses Abramovitz Correspondence 1992-1994

Box 7, folder 19

Correspondence: Paul A. David 1996-1998

Box 7, folder 20

Moses Abramovitz Correspondence 1988-2000

Box 7, folder 21

Correspondence: Paul A. David 1998-2000

Box 7, folder 22

Introduction for Moses Abramovitz at Economic History Association 1990-1992

Box 7, folder 23

Moses Abramovitz Obituary, by Paul David and Gavin Wright 2000 December

Box 7, folder 24

Moses Abramovitz Memoir and CV 1999-2000

Box 7, folder 25

Moses Abramovitz: How Did I Get that Way

Box 7, folder 26

Aaron Gordon as an Economist, Memoir

Box 7, folder 27

"Working with Paul", Memoir by MA

Box 8, folder 0

Miscellaneous media