--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-37/digitalization-and-productivity-in-search-of-the-holy-grail-firm-level-empirical-evidence-from-european-countries/" title: "Digitalization and Productivity: In Search of the Holy Grail — Firm-level Empirical Evidence from European Countries" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-13T07:53:06+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-13T07:53:06+00:00" post_type: "ipm" summary: "" ipm_issue_period: - "Fall 2019" ipm_keyword: - "2009-2015" - "broadband" - "cloud" - "CRM" - "diffusion" - "digitalization" - "ERP" - "Europe" - "firm-level" - "frontier firms" - "OECD" - "ORBIS" - "productivity" ipm_research_theme: - "Productivity trends and comparisons" - "Technology and innovation" ipm_country_focus: - "Europe" - "International" - "OECD" featured_image: "https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IPM_50_banner.webp" status: "publish" --- # Digitalization and Productivity: In Search of the Holy Grail — Firm-level Empirical Evidence from European Countries Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-37/digitalization-and-productivity-in-search-of-the-holy-grail-firm-level-empirical-evidence-from-european-countries/ # Digitalization and Productivity: In Search of the Holy Grail — Firm-level Empirical Evidence from European Countries [Download full PDF article](https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IPM-Issue-37-2-Gal-Nicoletti-von-Ruden-Sorbe-Renault.pdf) Cite this article × Cite this article as: Gal, Peter, Giuseppe Nicoletti, Christina von Rüden, Stéphane Sorbe, and Théodore Renault. 2019. “Digitalization and Productivity: In Search of the Holy Grail — Firm-level Empirical Evidence from European Countries.” International Productivity Monitor, No. 37 (Fall 2019): 39–71. https://www.csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-37/digitalization-and-productivity-in-search-of-the-holy-grail-firm-level-empirical-evidence-from-european-countries/ ## Authors: - Peter Gal OECD; Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies - Giuseppe Nicoletti Economics Department, OECD - Christina von Rüden OECD; Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies - Stéphane Sorbe OECD; Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies - Théodore Renault OECD; Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies ## IPM Issue 37 Fall 2019 pp. 39–71 ## Related IPM articles [Is the SNA Still Useful? 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Compared to earlier technology waves, digital adoption appears more dependent on complementary intangible assets (skills, organizational capital), slowing diffusion among less productive firms and contributing to increased productivity dispersion and slower aggregate growth. À l’aide de données au niveau des entreprises d’ORBIS couplées aux données d’adoption numérique d’Eurostat (haut débit, ERP, CRM, informatique en nuage, 2009-2015) pour 20 pays de l’UE, cet article trouve des données probantes robustes que l’adoption des technologies numériques est associée à des gains de productivité, notamment dans le secteur manufacturier et les activités à caractère routinier. Les entreprises de pointe bénéficient davantage de la numérisation que les entreprises à la traîne. Par rapport aux vagues technologiques antérieures, l’adoption numérique semble plus dépendante d’actifs immatériels complémentaires (compétences, capital organisationnel), ce qui ralentit la diffusion parmi les entreprises moins productives et contribue à une dispersion accrue de la productivité et à une croissance globale plus lente. [Download full PDF](https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IPM-Issue-37-2-Gal-Nicoletti-von-Ruden-Sorbe-Renault.pdf)