RIETI Productivity Studies: A survey for policy planners

The purpose of this paper is to survey productivity studies conducted at RIETI for the convenience of policy practitioners engaged in planning growth strategies. This survey covers (1) growth accounting studies at macro or industry level, (2) firm- or establishment-level analyses on the distribution and dynamics of productivity, and (3) microdata analyses on the determinants of productivity of firms or establishments. RIETI has published more than 60 productivity-related Discussion Papers, which have been used in a variety of ways to assist policy makers in planning economic policies. Furthermore, many of these research results have been published in academic journals or books, influencing scholars and intellectuals both domestically and abroad. Through these researches, useful knowledge on productivity has been accumulated, but there are still many open questions on how to enhance the productivity of the Japanese economy and industry. As productivity growth is the key to economic growth, it is necessary for RIETI to continue high-quality productivity researches which contribute both to policy planning and to academic progress.

* The revised version of this paper is 13-P-010