For others, the problem is lower investment demand, caused partly by the fact that machines are now much cheaper and that technological progress has slowed since 1970. Economists like Robert Gordon and Tyler Cowen argue that the technological breakthroughs of the past, including piped water, air conditioning, and commercial air travel, had a greater social impact – giving rise to the suburban lifestyle of cars and shopping malls, for example – than many of today’s advances.
在另一些人看来，问题的根本是更低的投资需求，在某种程度上是因为机器的价格更加便宜且科技进步自1970年以来逐步放缓。罗伯特·戈登（Robert Gordon）和泰勒·柯文（Tyler Cowen）等经济学家因为过去的科技突破，包括管道自来水，空调和商业化航班，都都比当今许多科技进步拥有更大的社会影响力——比如推动了汽车和大型购物广场等郊区生活方式的崛起。。