--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-10/in-search-of-the-silver-bullet-for-productivity-growth-a-review-article-of-the-power-of-productivity-and-transforming-the-european-economy/" title: "In Search of the Silver Bullet for Productivity Growth: A Review Article of The Power of Productivity and Transforming the European Economy" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-13T06:53:25+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-13T06:53:25+00:00" post_type: "ipm" summary: "" ipm_issue_period: - "Spring 2005" ipm_keyword: - "competition" - "consumer welfare" - "Europe" - "product markets" - "productivity" - "review article" - "silver bullet" - "structural reform" - "United States" ipm_research_theme: - "Policy and institutions" ipm_country_focus: - "Europe" - "International" - "United States" featured_image: "https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IPM_50_banner.webp" status: "publish" --- # In Search of the Silver Bullet for Productivity Growth: A Review Article of The Power of Productivity and Transforming the European Economy Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-10/in-search-of-the-silver-bullet-for-productivity-growth-a-review-article-of-the-power-of-productivity-and-transforming-the-european-economy/ # In Search of the Silver Bullet for Productivity Growth: A Review Article of The Power of Productivity and Transforming the European Economy [Download full PDF article](https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IPM-Issue-10-6-van-Ark.pdf) Cite this article × Cite this article as: van Ark, Bart. 2005. “In Search of the Silver Bullet for Productivity Growth: A Review Article of The Power of Productivity and Transforming the European Economy.” International Productivity Monitor, No. 10 (Spring 2005): 79–86. https://www.csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-10/in-search-of-the-silver-bullet-for-productivity-growth-a-review-article-of-the-power-of-productivity-and-transforming-the-european-economy/ ## Author: - Bart van Ark University of Manchester / The Productivity Institute ## IPM Issue 10 Spring 2005 pp. 79–86 ## Related IPM articles [Is the SNA Still Useful? 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Both books stress productivity as the only sustainable source of economic growth and emphasize the need for adaptation to change. Lewis argues that intense and fair competition in product markets — putting the consumer first — is the key silver bullet for productivity growth, while Baily and Kirkegaard take a broader analytical perspective on European structural reform needs. The reviewer provides detailed summaries of both works and offers a general critique of the McKinsey research program. Cet article de recension examine deux grands ouvrages sur la productivité : The Power of Productivity de William Lewis (McKinsey Global Institute) et Transforming the European Economy de Martin Baily et Jacob Kirkegaard. Les deux ouvrages soulignent que la productivité est la seule source durable de croissance économique et mettent en avant la nécessité de s’adapter au changement. Lewis soutient que la concurrence intense et équitable sur les marchés de produits — en mettant le consommateur au premier plan — est la clé de voûte de la croissance de la productivité, tandis que Baily et Kirkegaard adoptent une perspective analytique plus large sur les besoins de réforme structurelle en Europe. Le recenceur fournit des résumés détaillés des deux ouvrages et formule une critique générale du programme de recherche de McKinsey. [Download full PDF](https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IPM-Issue-10-6-van-Ark.pdf)