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Can Massive Technological Progress Hurt Workers? A Review of Power and Progress by Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson
Can Massive Technological Progress Hurt Workers? A Review of Power and Progress by Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson
Fiona Scott Morton
Journal of Economic Literature (Forthcoming)
Abstract
It is somewhat intimidating to be invited to write a review of a book that covers 1,000 years of human technological progress. However, I came away from the experience convinced that an analysis of such a broad scope of human history helpfully illustrates the authors’ main point. Furthermore, the book was a pleasure to read, being well-written and informative. I also found it to be insightful; it delivers a somewhat radical and certainly thought-provoking perspective on the impact of the adoption of innovative technology on labor earnings, labor conditions, and labor’s share of the economy. The analysis in the book is of general interest but will be especially useful to those with an interest in policy, and will equip all readers for cocktail party conversations that touch on AI.
