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<p><p>Stronger productivity growth in the US than the EU over the late 1990s is widely attributed to faster, more widespread adoption of information and communication technology (ICT). The literature has emphasised complementarities in production between ICT and internal restructuring as an important mechanism. We investigate the idea that increased use of ICT has facilitated outsourcing of business services, and that these are complementary activities in production because they allow firms to focus on their core competencies. This is consistent with evidence from the business literature and aggregate trends, and we show evidence from microdata that is consistent with this idea. </p></p>
Authors
CPP Co-Director, IFS Research Director
Rachel is Research Director and Professor at the University of Manchester. She was made a Dame for services to economic policy and education in 2021.
Research Fellow Institute for Fiscal Studies
Laura is a Research Fellow at IFS. Her current work focuses on tax and social protection policy and programme evaluation in developing countries.
Working Paper details
- DOI
- 10.1920/wp.ifs.2009.0910
- Publisher
- IFS
Suggested citation
Abramovsky, L and Griffith, R. (2009). ICT, corporate restructuring and productivity. London: IFS. Available at: https://ifs.org.uk/publications/ict-corporate-restructuring-and-productivity (accessed: 30 June 2024).
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