Product Market Regulation and Productivity Convergence: OECD Evidence and Implications for Canada

Paul Conway and Giuseppe Nicoletti

International Productivity Monitor, 2007, vol. 15, 3-24

Abstract: In this article we investigate the effect of product market regulation on the international diffusion of productivity shocks. The results indicate that regulations that restrict competition slow the process of adjustment through which best practice production techniques diffuse across borders and new technologies are incorporated into the production process. This effect is reflected in cross-country differences in ICT investment and speeds of catch up of sectoral productivity, which are significantly influenced by differences in product market regulation. Thus, persisting cross-country differences in product market regulation can partially explain the recent observed divergence of labour productivity in OECD countries, given the emergence of new general purpose technologies over the 1990s. In the case of Canada, the results suggest that remaining regulatory barriers to competition in a few key non-manufacturing sectors may have prevented the economy from benefiting to the full extent from high productivity growth rates in the United States and other productivity leaders.

Keywords: product market regulation; OECD countries; cross-country differences; sectoral productivity; reform. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F43 L51 O11 O14 O20 O38 O47 O57 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2007
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (22)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.csls.ca/ipm/15/IPM-15-conway-e.pdf (application/pdf)
http://www.csls.ca/ipm/15/IPM-15-conway-f.pdf version en français (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sls:ipmsls:v:15:y:2007:1

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.csls.ca

Access Statistics for this article

International Productivity Monitor is currently edited by Andrew Sharpe, Executive Director

More articles in International Productivity Monitor from Centre for the Study of Living Standards 170 Laurier Ave. W, Suite 604, Ottawa, ON K1P 5V5. Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by CSLS ( this e-mail address is bad, please contact ).