Call for Papers for Centre for Study of Living Standards-Productivity Partnership Conference“Explaining Canada’s Post-2000 Productivity Performance” at the Canadian Economics
Association Annual Meeting, McGill University, June 1-3, 2018
Since 2000 Canada’s productivity performance, in terms of both labour productivity and total factor
productivity, has been poor at the aggregate level and for most industries from both an historical andinternational perspective. Many economists have put forward various explanations for this weak
performance, but a consensus has yet to emerge.
To advance our understanding of Canada’s post-2000 productivity performance, the Centre for theStudy of Living Standards (CSLS) and the Productivity Partnership are organizing a conference on thetopic. The objective of the conference is to stimulate new research, especially research based on firmlevel data, that sheds light on the weak productivity performance of the post-2000 period andpotentially results in a common or shared understanding and agreement on the factors behind thisdevelopment. Such an understanding is needed for the formulation of effective public policies to boost
productivity growth.
Issues or questions on which papers are invited include the following:

How has aggregate demand influenced productivity growth?

Is a lagging pace of technological advance responsible for slower productivity growth?

Has the competitive environment in Canada affected productivity growth?

Can inadequate investment in the form of infrastructure, software, and machinery andequipment, including ICT equipment, explain slower productivity growth?

What role has human capital, including formal education, literacy and numeracy skills, andworkplace training play in the productivity equation?

Has Canada’s weak innovation record, especially BERD, contributed to low productivity growth?

What role have commodity price shocks played in productivity performance?

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Has the regulatory environment hindered or fostered productivity growth since 2000?

How has Canada’s participation, or lack of participation, in global supply chains affected
productivity?

What have been the relative contributions of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) andlarge businesses to productivity growth?

What role has the reallocation of capital and labour between industries and firms played in
productivity growth?

Can statistical mismeasurement of either or both inputs and output account for slower
productivity growth?

The conference will take place as part of the annual meeting of the Canadian Economics Association(CEA) being held at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec from Friday, June 1, 2018 to Sunday June 3,
2018. The CEA has allocated a number of sessions for this conference. All paper givers will need toregister with the CEA.
The members of the conference organizing committee are Don Drummond, Andrew Sharpe and MikeVeall.
Proposals for papers (maximum of 1000 words) are to be sent to Andrew Sharpe atandrew.sharpe@csls.ca by February 2, 2018. Decisions will be made by February 28, 2018. Papers will bedue by May 15, 2018. A special issue of the International Productivity Monitor will be published in thefall of 2018 based on selected papers from the conference.
There are some funds to defray travel expenses for some presenters, which should be requested nolater than the time of submission of the proposal.