--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-38/productivity-convergence-across-industries-in-the-united-states-japan-and-germany/" title: "Productivity Convergence across Industries in the United States, Japan, and Germany" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-13T07:53:12+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-13T07:53:12+00:00" post_type: "ipm" summary: "" ipm_issue_period: - "Spring 2020" ipm_keyword: - "Germany" - "GGDC" - "industry-level" - "Japan" - "labour productivity" - "post-war" - "PPP" - "productivity convergence" - "TFP" - "United States" ipm_research_theme: - "Productivity trends and comparisons" ipm_country_focus: - "Germany" - "International" - "Japan" - "United States" featured_image: "https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IPM_50_banner.webp" status: "publish" --- # Productivity Convergence across Industries in the United States, Japan, and Germany Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-38/productivity-convergence-across-industries-in-the-united-states-japan-and-germany/ # Productivity Convergence across Industries in the United States, Japan, and Germany [Download full PDF article](https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IPM-Issue-38-4-Baily-Bosworth-Doshi.pdf) Cite this article × Cite this article as: Baily, Martin, Barry Bosworth, and Siddharth Doshi. 2020. “Productivity Convergence across Industries in the United States, Japan, and Germany.” International Productivity Monitor, No. 38 (Spring 2020): 81–103. https://www.csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-38/productivity-convergence-across-industries-in-the-united-states-japan-and-germany/ ## Authors: - Martin Baily Institute for International Economics - Barry Bosworth Brookings Institution - Siddharth Doshi Brookings Institution ## IPM Issue 38 Spring 2020 pp. 81–103 ## Related IPM articles [Efficiency Adjustment of Hours Worked: Two Possible Modifications of a Jorgensen Production Model Barbara Fraumeni Fall 2025 | IPM Issue 49 | pp. 103–115](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-49/efficiency-adjustment-of-hours-worked-two-possible-modifications-of-a-jorgensen-production-model/) [Labour Productivity as a Measure of Technological Change Ulrich Kohli Fall 2025 | IPM Issue 49 | pp. 64–81](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-49/labour-productivity-as-a-measure-of-technological-change/) [The Relationship between Efficiencies Defenses for Mergers and TFP Growth Robin Shaban Fall 2025 | IPM Issue 49 | pp. 82–102](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-49/the-relationship-between-efficiencies-defenses-for-mergers-and-tfp-growth/) [IPM Issue 49 Editors’ Overview Andrew Sharpe, Bart van Ark, Paul Schreyer Fall 2025 | IPM Issue 49 | pp. 1–2](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-49/) [De-industrialization and the Great Productivity Slowdown: What Comes Next? 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Bart van Ark, Klaas de Vries, Abdul Erumban Spring 2024 | IPM Issue 46 | pp. 38–59](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-46/are-intangibles-running-out-of-steam/) ## Abstract ## Résumé EN FR Copy link Email LinkedIn This article examines industry-level productivity convergence and divergence between the United States, Japan, and Germany over the post-war period, using both value-added labour productivity and TFP (via dual approach with GGDC PPPs). It finds that while aggregate convergence of Japan and Germany toward the U.S. was substantial in the 1950s-1980s, this process has largely stalled or reversed in many industries since 1990. The pattern of convergence and divergence varies substantially by industry, with manufacturing generally still converging and services diverging in several cases. Cet article examine la convergence et la divergence de la productivité au niveau industriel entre les États-Unis, le Japon et l’Allemagne sur la période d’après-guerre, en utilisant à la fois la productivité du travail par valeur ajoutée et la PMF. Il constate que si la convergence globale du Japon et de l’Allemagne vers les États-Unis a été substantielle dans les années 1950-1980, ce processus a largement stagné ou s’est inversé dans de nombreuses industries depuis 1990. Le schéma de convergence et de divergence varie considérablement selon l’industrie, le secteur manufacturier convergeant encore généralement et les services divergeant dans plusieurs cas. [Download full PDF](https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IPM-Issue-38-4-Baily-Bosworth-Doshi.pdf)