Economic performance and productivity varies considerably by region in Germany. Overall, efficiency levels are higher … productivity. To a considerable extent, the disparities between East and West are an expression of rural vs. urban discrepancies …

, productivity growth has been slowing down in all developed economies. At the same time, however, studies have found that a handfull … of highly productive companies continue to record above-average productivity growth. Hence, the authors observe … differences in productivity levels across businesses even within narrowly defined sectors. This paper surveys recent empirical …