Welcome to the Centre for the Study of Living Standards
Contact Information 151 Slater Street, Suite 710
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5H3
CANADA
Tel: +1.613.233.8891
Fax: +1.613.233.8250
E-mail: info@csls.ca
The Centre for the Study of Living Standards is a non-profit, national, independent organization that seeks to contribute to a better understanding of trends in and determinants of productivity, living standards and economic and social well-being through research.
Announcements & Recent Releases
On December 10, 2013, the Centre for the Study of Living Standards released the Fall 2013 issue of the International Productivity Monitor. In the lead article Explaining Slower Productivity Growth: The Role of Weak Demand Growth, Someshwar Rao from S. Rao Consulting Inc. and Jiang Li from the University of Victoria find that the weak output growth since 2000, reflecting weaker demand growth, was in fact largely responsible for the productivity slowdown experienced in Canada. Their econometric analysis shows that weaker demand reduces labour productivity growth through a number of channels, including fewer economies of scale and scope, weaker investment, and slower human capital formation.
This issue of the International Productivity Monitor also contains articles on the following topics: the sectoral productivity performance of Ontario industries; the sensitivity of multifactor productivity growth in Canada and the United States to alternative methodologies and assumptions; the role of measurement issues in explaining the Canada-U.S. ICT investment gap; the potential contribution of firm-level data to productivity analysis; and policies to improve government productivity performance. A press release for this publication is available here.
On November 6, 2013, the Centre for the Study of Living Standards released a new study entitled “Overview of Developments in ICT Investment in Canada in 2012”. After two years of robust growth in 2010 and 2011, following the 2009 collapse, ICT investment growth in Canada slowed down in 2012. Real ICT investment increased only 5.0 per cent in 2012, down from 9.5 per cent in 2011 and 11.2 per cent in 2010. All three major ICT components – namely, computers, software, and telecommunications equipment – experienced a slow down in terms of real investment.
On July 26, 2013, the Centre for the Study of Living Standards released a report entitled “A Detailed Analysis of Newfoundland and Labrador's Productivity Performance, 1997-2010: The Impact of the Oil Boom.” Propelled by the mining and oil and gas sector, Newfoundland and Labrador’s economy experienced impressive growth in the past decade. During the 1997-2010 period, real GDP in the province's business sector increased at nearly twice the rate of Canada's, while the province's labour productivity growth was more than three times greater than Canada's. This report provides a detailed analysis of Newfoundland and Labrador's productivity performance and the factors behind this performance. It identifies the province’s shift to high productivity oil extraction activities as the main factor responsible for this remarkable productivity growth, while also discussing the positive spill-over effects that this shift has had on Newfoundland and Labrador's economy as a whole. A press release is available for this report.
On May 29, 2013, the Centre for the Study of Living Standards released a report entitled “Can the Canada-U.S. ICT investment Gap Be a Measurement Issue?” In 2011, information and communications technology (ICT) investment per worker in Canada was only 57.8 per cent of the U.S. level. The report investigates whether this investment gap is an artifact of methodological differences between Statistics Canada and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, finding that measurement issues account for only 10 per cent of the gap. This indicates that the Canada-U.S. ICT investment gap is a real phenomenon. Furthermore, the report finds that the gap is heavily concentrated in software investment and in a small number of ICT-intensive industries, particularly in information and cultural industries. A press release is available for this report.
On May 23, 2013, the Centre for the Study of Living Standards released a report entitled "Labour Market Prospects for the Métis in the Canadian Mining Industry." The report argues that the Métis population has unique demographic characteristics – such as their youthfulness and their overrepresentation in rural and remote areas – that could create competitive advantages for employment in the mining industry in the medium-term. The report provides an overview of Métis participation in the Canadian mining industry, discussing potential barriers to Métis employment and highlighting actions and strategies that could help the Métis overcome these barriers and maximize their opportunities in the sector.
On May 23, 2013, the Centre for the Study of Living Standards released a report entitled "Labour Market Information for Employers and Economic Immigrants in Canada: A Country Study," prepared for the International Organization for Migration. The report draws lessons from the Canadian immigration experience, examining the services provided to immigrants by the federal and provincial governments, and identifying best practices, which include: establishing national standards for the recognition of foreign qualification; simplifying the delivery of services by using one-stop shops or single-points-of-contact; involving local stakeholders in the development of policy and delivery of service; and maintaining a flexible immigration policy.
The Centre for the Study of Living Standards has organized six sessions for this year's Canadian Economic Association Annual Conference in Montreal, May 30 - June 2. The titles of the CSLS sessions are:
Aboriginal Labour Market and Education Issues (co-organized with the CD Howe Institute)
Income Inequality Issues (co-organized with Canada 2020)
Productivity Research from the United States, UK, France, and Canada (co-organized with Banque de France)
Panel on "What Has Happened to Living Standards in Canada?" (co-organized with the Progressive Economic Forum)
Panel on "Multifactor Productivity Growth in Canada: Trends, Measurement Issues and Interpretation?"
Productivity Developments at the Provincial Level in Canada
A full program of the Centre's sessions can be found here.
Details about the CEA 47th Annual Conference can be found on the CEA website.
On April 10, 2013, the Centre for the Study of Living Standards released the Spring 2013 issue of the International Productivity Monitor. The issue contains a number of articles on the outlook for productivity growth by prominent economists. The lead article by Martin Baily from the Brooking Institution, James Manyika from the McKinsey Global Institute and Shalabh Gupta from McKinsey & Company provides an optimistic assessment of future productivity growth in the United States. In response, Robert J. Gordon from Northwestern University makes the case that slow productivity growth has returned after its temporary revival in the 1995-2004, and David Byrne from the Federal Reserve Board, Stephen Oliner from UCLA and the American Enterprise Institute and Dan Sichel from Wellesley College argue that the information revolution is not over and, as a result, US productivity growth may well return to its the long-term average growth rate of 2.25 per cent per year. Chad Syverson from the University of Chicago notes the similarities in the productivity growth paths between the electrification and IT eras, which might suggest a productivity resurgence.
Andrea De Michelis and Beth Anne Wilson from the Federal Reserve Board and Marcello Estevao from the IMF present evidence that firms adjust production efficiency in response to labour supply development, making total factor productivity growth endogenous. They conclude that for countries, like Canada, close to the technological frontier with good institutions and adequate support for research, development, and entrepreneurship, concerns about slow TFP growth may be less pressing as long as labour input growth remains strong. In the final article Bart van Ark, Vivian Chen and Kirsten Jager from the U.S. Conference Board provide a detailed examination of European productivity growth since 2000 and outline future prospects.
On December 19, 2012, the Centre for the Study of Living Standards released the Fall 2012 issue of the International Productivity Monitor. The lead article by Dale Jorgenson from Harvard University provides an overview of the World KLEMS initiative, which puts together detailed industry-level productivity datasets for countries around the world.
The Fall issue also includes a symposium on the measurement of multifactor productivity in Canada. Erwin Diewert (UBC) and Emily Yu (DFAIT) construct alternative estimates for multifactor productivity in the Canadian business sector, arguing that Canada had a far better productivity performance than what the official numbers indicate. This sparks a highly relevant debate among experts in the area, with contributions by Wulong Gu (Statistics Canada); Paul Schreyer (OECD); and Michael Harper (former BLS), Alice Nakamura (University of Alberta) and Lu Zhang (University of Alberta).
Finally, the issue also contains articles by Barbara Fraumeni (University of Southern Maine) on the new concept of human capital productivity; Peter Jarrett (OECD) on the long-term outlook for economic and productivity growth in Canada; Ricardo de Avillez on how the choice of decomposition formula impacts estimated sectoral contributions to labour productivity growth in the Canadian business sector; and an interview by Chris Ragan (McGill University) with economists Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson on their recent book, Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty.
On September 27, 2012, the Centre for the Study of Living Standards released a report entitled "The Impact of Redistribution on Income Inequality in Canada and the Provinces, 1981-2010.” Using data from Statistics Canada, the report provides an overview of trends in income inequality, defined as the Gini coefficient, in Canada and the provinces over the 1981-2010 period and investigates the impact of redistributive policies – namely, taxes and transfers – on these trends. Income inequality is measured in terms of market income, total income, and after-tax income, with the latter considered the most important from a well-being perspective. The report finds that government spending and transfers offset 44 per cent of the rise in the market income Gini coefficient between 1981 and 2010. A press release is available for this report
On September 25, 2012, the Centre for the Study of Living Standards released a report entitled "Canadians Are Happy and Getting Happier: An Overview of Life Satisfaction in Canada: 2003-2011.” Using data from Statistics Canada’s Canadian Community Health Survey, the report finds that in 2011 92.3 per cent of Canadians 12 and over reported they were satisfied or very satisfied with their lives. This is up from 91.3 per cent in 2003. According to the Gallop World Poll Canada is the second most happy country in the world. A press release is available for this report.
On September 18, 2012, the Centre for the Study of Living Standards released a report which concluded that in 2011, ICT investment continued to make a strong comeback in Canada following the decline in investment during the 2009 recession; however, ICT investment performance was not as strong as enjoyed in 2010. Tepid ICT investment growth in the non-business sector put downward pressure on total economy ICT investment growth, but the business sector’s solid ICT investment growth offset the non-business sector’s poor performance.
On June 29, 2012, the Centre for the Study of Living Standards released a study entitled “Innovation in Canadian Natural Resource Industries: A System-Based Analysis of Performance, Policy and Emerging Challenges". The objective of this report, prepared for Natural Resources Canada, is to broaden and deepen our understanding of innovation in Canadian natural resource industries, and to identify strengths and weaknesses of the sector in terms of innovative capacity. The key conclusion of the report is that the overall innovation performance of the Canadian natural resources sector is strong and has improved in recent years. A press release is available for this report. A summary of this report has also been published in The World Financial Review Jan/Feb 2013 edition.
On June 25, 2012, the Centre for the Study of Living Standards released a study entitled “A Detailed Analysis of Nova Scotia’s Productivity Performance, 1997-2010”. The study was prepared for the Nova Scotia Department of Labour and Advanced Education, the Nova Scotia Department of Economic and Rural Development and Tourism, and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. It provides a detailed analysis of Nova Scotia’s labour and capital productivity performance and the factors behind this performance. It identifies weak machinery and equipment investment and low levels of business R&D as the two factors most responsible for the province’s productivity gap. A press release is available for this report.
On June 20, 2012, the Centre for the Study of Living Standards released a study entitled “Aboriginal Labour Market Performance in Canada: 2007-2011”. Using Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey (which excludes Aboriginal Canadians living on-reserve), the report provides a portrait of the Aboriginal labour market in 2011 and compares Aboriginal labour market performance to non-Aboriginal Canadians over the 2007-2011 period at the national level, and also by gender, age group, province, and main heritage group (First Nations or Métis). The report also discusses the implications of future labour market developments for Aboriginal Canadians and for the labour market policies and programs that support their labour market performance. A press release is available for this report.
On May 18, 2012, the Centre for the Study of Living Standards released a major study entitled “The Human Development Index in Canada: Estimates for the Canadian Provinces and Territories”. This is the first study that has developed estimates of the Human Development Index (HDI) for the provinces and territories that are consistent with the official HDI estimates for Canada produced by the United Nations. A press release is available for this report.
On May 17, 2012, the Centre for the Study of Living Standards released a report analyzing the latest developments in ICT investment in Canada and the United States. The report finds that the Canada-U.S. ICT investment per worker gap continued widening in 2010, with the ratio of nominal ICT investment per worker in Canada relative to that of the United States falling from 53.5 per cent in 2009 to 53.0 per cent in 2010. The widening of the gap reflects the weak ICT investment growth in Canada in 2010. The report draws upon the 2010 update of the CSLS ICT Database.
The Centre for the Study of Living Standards has organized four sessions for this year's Canadian Economic Association Annual Conference, June 7-10, in Calgary. The titles of the CSLS sessions are:
Perspectives on First Nations Governance Issues
Issues on Aboriginal Economic Development
Canada’s Economic Destiny: The Outlook for Productivity Growth in Canada
New Approaches to Well-being and Poverty
A full program of the Centre's sessions can be found here.
Details about the CEA 45th Annual Conference can be found on the CEA website.
The economic and fiscal crisis in Greece continues to deepen, with the outcome at this point unknown. One scenario sees Greece leaving the euro zone, with very serious implications for Europe. To shed light on this perilous situation, the Centre for the Study of Living Standards and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives organized a luncheon on May 1st, 2012 with Richard Parker from Harvard University. From 2009 to 2011 he served as economic advisor to Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, an experience that gives him a unique perspective on the Greek crisis. More information on the lecture "The Greek Economic Crisis and Implications for Europe" is available here
On April 12, 2012, the Centre for the Study of Living Standards released the Spring 2012 issue of the International Productivity Monitor. The lead article Stimulating Innovation: Is Canada Pursuing the Right Policies? by Marcel Côté and Roger Miller from Secor argues that current policies to promote business innovation in Canada are not working and develops a new framework for understanding innovation.
Other articles are on new direct measures of the use of computer technologies in Canada and the United States and implications for Canadian productivity growth; the reasons behind the large divergence between labour productivity and real median wage growth in the United States over the 1973-2011 period; the relationship between educational attainment, employment rates and productivity in OECD countries; and the treatment in the national accounts of measures of volume output for education and health services. A press release for this publication is available here.
On March 1, 2012 the Centre for the Study of Living Standards released the update of the CSLS Productivity Database for the period 1997 to 2010 with estimates of productivity by province and industry.
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