Information and Communication Technologies

A large part of the EU-US difference in labour productivity growth can be linked to ICT use. Furthermore, even within Europe, the subsidiaries of US multinationals appear to make more effective use of ICT than either domestic European firms or non-US multinationals. Previous research suggests that this may be linked to organisational and regulatory factors across Europe. We will collect firm-level ICT data for Europe and the US and match it to firm level performance and our new management and organisational data to rigorously address questions such as: Why are US firms so much better at deploying ICT both domestically and through their European subsidiaries? To what extent do managerial and organisational practices contribute to this? What is the role of an ageing workforce for firms' adoption of ICT and for firm performance?

FINDINGS

For further information please contact:

Dr Tobias Kretschmer, London School of Economics and CEP.
Email: t.kretschmer@lse.ac.uk