William Lewis: Unleashing the Power of Productivity at Home and Abroad

Despite the fact that most economists agree that increasing productivity is the most important goal for economic policy, few scholars have actually focused on what drives productivity and what governments can do. An exception to this is Bill Lewis, founding director of the McKinsey Global Institute and former partner at McKinsey & Company.

At this ITIF Forum, Lewis will discuss the results of his research and present the findings from his book The Power of Productivity: Wealth, Poverty, and the Threat to Global Stability. Based on MGI’s 12-year survey and analysis, Lewis and his team examined individual industries within a variety of nations including Brazil, India, Japan and the United States. In contrast to conventional economic explanations based largely on abstract statistical models, Lewis’ analysis is grounded in actual on-the-ground research of firms, organizations and national policies.

And in contrast to the prevailing wisdom about how best to ameliorate economic disparity and promote growth (such as boosting “human capital”), Lewis offers controversial answers, including that the key is boosting productivity, particularly through enhanced competition. Please join us for an enlightening and stimulating discussion of why productivity grows and what the U.S. and foreign governments can do.