Friday, November 25, 2011

Keeping it Simple

In a Los Angeles Times article by Mark Magnier, there is an interesting discussion of the prolonged use of the typewriter in India. The article, “The Typewriter lives on in India,” blames the country’s bureaucracy for its outdated use of the machine, due to “outdated forms (often in triplicate) and useless procedures…” After having seen data about the introduction of personal computers in the United States and the delayed impact on total factor productivity, I find this article very interesting. Like a computer, a typewriter serves the fundamental purpose of precision control, but unlike a computer the learning curve is not as large because the machine is much more rudimentary. The article also mentions the advantage of a machine without a power cord because 400 million people in India still lack electricity. This mirrors the same need for complementary capital that was seen in the United States, causing the initial lag in increasing total factor productivity.


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-india-typewriter-20110901,0,3168890.story

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