The McKinsey Global Institute's research has examined the drivers of productivity in nearly 20 countries around the world across more than 30 industry sectors.
With the breadth and academic rigor of economic analyses, MGI assesses the productivity performance and competitiveness of countries and sectors relative to global benchmarks. Building on McKinsey's industry expertise in the way companies operate across the globe, MGI is then able to explain how managerial decisions and industry dynamics lead to these aggregate outcomes. We also assess the potential impact of growth drivers such as information technology and innovation, manufacturing versus service industries, and the informal economy.
McKinsey Global Institute Anthology Series Diana Farrell (Editor), 2007 Now available, a new collection of McKinsey Global Institute research, published by Harvard Business School Press, offers perspectives on offshoring, productivity, and what drives economic growth. Read more on the main McKinsey site
How Russia could be more productive
Russia's way out of the economic slowdown is the more effective use of the country's resources—not just more resources.
Lean Russia: Sustaining economic growth through improved productivity
Labor productivity in Russia remains low, but improvements have been promising. In five sectors – steel, retail, retail banking, electric power and residential construction – productivity stands now on average at 26 percent of U.S. levels in 2007.
Sweden's economic performance: Recent development, current priorities
To sustain growth, Sweden should focus on three priorities: improve competition in the private sector, accelerate productivity in the public sector, and focus on job creation in services sectors.
In between legitimate businesses and black market activity, there floats a segment of the economy where quasi-legal practices are the standard. Often ignored or explained away, the informal, or gray, economy can dampen productivity and undermine a nation's financial health.
The McKinsey Quarterly, 2005 Number 1 Brazil's economy could grow by an additional 1.5 percent a year if its government launched a concerted effort to reduce the size of the gray market, as many other countries have succeeded in doing.
Turkey: Making the productivity and growth breakthrough
Turkey's economy is poised to take off. Completing a successful transformation, however, means Turkey needs to confront monopolies and traditionally run businesses that are slow to modernize. MGI shows how privatization and enforcement of financial laws will boost the economy.
Reports of the New Economy's demise have been greatly exaggerated. Evidence from both the U.S. and Europe indicates that IT was and is important to productivity growth, but that its primary role is as an enabler of innovation and competition. Read more Launch audio presentation (15 mins.): broadband| 56k
Perspective—How IT enables productivity growth
IT was during the '90s boom most effective when tailored to sector-specific business processes, deployed sequentially to build capabilities over time, and coevolved incrementally with managerial and technical innovations.
This study reveals the sources of the U.S. productivity miracle in the late '90s and the economy's future prospects. Much of the U.S. productivity acceleration was structural in nature and should endure.
Reaching higher productivity growth in France and Germany
Following the end of World War II, France and Germany made dramatic strides in narrowing the labor productivity gap with the United States. Then that trend suddenly changed. This MGI report uncovers the reasons why and what France and Germany can do about it.
Read more Launch slideshow
Explore MGI multimedia Gain MGI insights through interactive graphics, podcasts and other media. Read more
New horizons: Multinational company investment in developing economies A major study suggests that both multinational companies and developing economies could find enormous benefits through foreign direct investment. But global expansion has its pitfalls as well as its opportunities, and CEOs as well as policy leaders need to understand them both. Read more
U.S. productivity growth, 1995–2000 This study reveals the sources of the U.S. productivity miracle in the late '90s and the economy's future prospects. Much of the U.S. productivity acceleration was structural in nature and should endure. Read more
Whatever happened to the new economy? Reports of the New Economy's demise have been greatly exaggerated. Evidence from both the U.S. and Europe indicates that IT was and is important to productivity growth, but that its primary role is as an enabler of innovation and competition. Read more
Get and manage periodic research update e-newsletter and alerts. Read more
Get RSS feed and Podcasts.
Free, onetime registration is required to download MGI publications. Register now
