Productivity Issues in Canada

Someshwar Rao and Andrew Sharpe, general editors

About the Book

Productivity growth is the fundamental driver of improvements in real incomes and living standards over the long term. Productivity gains increase the economic pie, freeing additional resources that can be invested to meet the needs of the population in areas such as health care, education, the environment, public infrastructures and social security.

After the first oil price shock in 1973, productivity growth declined sharply in Canada, as in all other OECD countries. Then, in the 1990s, Canada's productivity growth lagged significantly behind that of its largest trading partner, the United States. These worrisome trends generated a great deal of research interest and a lively public debate in Canada.

This collection of research papers on productivity will help better understand the reasons for Canada's relatively weak productivity record and the nature of productivity growth in Canada. They cover a wide range of topics - productivity trends and determinants; innovation and productivity; investment and productivity; global linkages and productivity; productivity in the new economy; and the social aspects of productivity. Some papers have already been published by Industry Canada, several figuring prominently in the productivity debate, but many are published here for the first time.

General Editors

Someshwar Rao is Director of Strategic Investment Analysis, Micro-Economic Policy Analysis Branch, in the Policy Sector at Industry Canada. Dr. Rao has published widely on both micro- and macro-economic issues.

Andrew Sharpe is founder and Executive Director of the Centre for the Study of Living Standards, and founder and Editor of the International Productivity Monitor. He has written extensively on labour markets, productivity, and living standards issues.

Table of Contents

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