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[Joseph_E._Stiglitz,_Carl_E._Walsh]_Economics(Bookos.org) (1)

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THE DEMAND FOR COMPUTERS AND

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

The demand for computers and other information technology

investments rose markedly during the 1980s and 1990s.

Panel A shows an index of real investment in computers

and related equipment; the index is scaled so that it equals

100 in the year 2000. Real investment has grown an average

of 29 percent over the period shown (1990–2003). This

growth in the demand for computers occurred for a simple

reason: the effective price of computers fell enormously.

Even though the average price of a personal computer

remained relatively stable, today’s computer delivers much

160

A

Nonresidential computer and peripheral equipment investment

140

INDEX: 2000 = 100

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004

800

700

B

Computer price index

INDEX: 2000 = 100

600

500

400

300

200

100

0

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004

62 ∂ CHAPTER 3 DEMAND, SUPPLY, AND PRICE

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