Productivity Drivers in British Columbia: Strategic Areas for Improvement

Abstract

A brief analysis of British Columbia’s productivity performance and the state of the drivers of this performance reveals that five areas merit additional focus. These areas could be the object of further research in the context of a productivity series produced for the British Columbia Progress Board by the Centre for the Study of living Standards. They are, in the proposed order of completion: Education and literacy, including professional qualifications and education for targeted groups such as aboriginals and recent immigrants, credentials recognition. Public and private investment, including public infrastructure, business investment and taxation structure. Research and innovation, including R&D investment, product and process innovation, knowledge diffusion and technology adoption. Resource reallocation, including competition policy, improving market mechanisms, product market regulation and foreign ownership rules. Trade and migration, including interprovincial and international movement of goods and services, skilled and unskilled immigration and emigration and interprovincial migration.

Download full PDF article