On the 8th November the Long Run Initiative hosted a roundtable at Queen’s Management School Belfast on Confronting the Productivity Challenge. The event brought experts and scholars together from academia, government and corporate sectors to discuss the theme of the day in front of an audience of over 60 participants. The proceedings were governed by the Chatham House Rule.
Participants included:
Diane Coyle (Bennett Professor of Public Policy, University of Cambridge)
Nick Crafts (Professor of Economics, University of Sussex)
Emma Flynn (Pro-Vice-Chancellor Research & Enterprise, Queen’s University Belfast)
The Hon. Kevin Lynch (former Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet, Government of Canada)
Angela McGowan (Director of the Confederation of British Industry, Northern Ireland)
David Paulson (Professor of Practice, Queen’s University Belfast)
John Turner (Professor of Finance and Financial History, Queen’s University Belfast)
The event was framed by the fact that for 250 years, consistent improvements in productivity have created an engine for economic growth, greater prosperity and better standards of living. Since the Global Financial Crisis, that two-and-a-half century winning streak has stalled: productivity has flat-lined. Productivity – how to generate it and sustain it – constitutes one of the most complex and serious challenges facing both enterprise and public policy.
This synopsis of the roundtable outlines the key themes and findings identified by the panelists and in the Q/A. As the event was conducted under Chatham House rules the synopsis does not directly identify those expressing opinions or perspectives.