Towards a Social Understanding of Productivity: A Review Article

Productivity is not just an important concept for economists, but for other social scientists as well. This article by Jeff Matrick, Editor of Challenge and economics columnist for the New York Times, is a review of a the recently published edited volume Towards a Social Understanding of Productivity. The papers looks at the impact of productivity on social well-being and examines the social determinants of productivity growth. Madrick notes that the volume reinforce the conventional view that productivity is essentially to a rising standard of living and at the same time adds considerably to a fuller understanding of how social factors affect economic growth and how economic growth is linked to social improvement.