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International experts analyze the factors that determine and boost productivity

Over 100 people attended the Workshop organized by the Ivie and BBVA Foundation in Valencia

The slowdown in productivity since the onset of the crisis is a phenomenon that generates much debate among international economists. The workshop Measures to enhance productivity growth. New developments, organized by the Ivie and BBVA Foundation in collaboration with the University of Valencia, analyzed the factors that determine productivity weaknesses, as well as the measures needed to boost its growth.

Over a hundred people attended the Workshop which was organized in three parts carried out by international experts from prestigious institutions such as the OECD, the European Commission, and various European universities.

The seminar analyzed productivity in the aftermath of the crisis, the role of intangible assets and human capital, the problem of resource distribution, global value chains, as well as the challenges of measuring in the new economy.

Ivie’s Director of International Projects, Matilde Mas, expressed in her presentation the need to invest in intangible assets to improve productivity.  Also, she insisted that Spain is behind in terms of investment in intangible assets with respect to other advanced economies. The problem concerns both the low number of investments and the distribution thereof, since 50% of Spain’s investments in intangible assets are concentrated in advertising and design. Regarding the Spanish regions, Madrid is the one that invests the most in intangibles and has strengthened its leadership in this field in recent years compared to other regions, such as Catalonia and Navarre that have slowed down their progression.

The following speakers also participated in the Workshop: Cecilia Jona-Lasinio (LUISS Guido Carli University and Istat), Flavio Calvin and Daniel Ker (OECD), Bart Los (University of Groningen), Montserrat López-Cobo (European Commission) and Enrique Bigné (University of Valencia).