The purpose of this event was to revisit the connections between Britain's productivity record and aspects of the British regulatory regime. The focus was primarily to connect with the employment relationship and the management of organizations. They include industrial relations, the skills and training system, and the education and competence of managers. They do not include directly the structure of financial markets or macroeconomic management. These issues will be addressed in so far as they relate to those that are the direct focus; for example, it might be argued that financial markets promote a certain kind of approach to employment relations. Discussion focused on these 3 issues:

- the historical record of productivity, and whether existing interpretations need to be challenged;

- changes in the British regulatory context in the past 20 years and whether these have contributed to any change in productivity outcomes;

- and, within the new 'regulatory space', what policy developments, within firms or at the level of public policy, are needed to maintain and improve productivity.

Presentations

Mari Sako - Outsourcing and Offshoring: Implications for Services Productivity.

Nicholas Crafts - Competition, Regulation and UK Productivity Performance