The 8th World KLEMS Conference will be held on March 27-28, 2025 in Tokyo. The World KLEMS project was started in 2010 by the late Dale Jorgenson, Professor of Harvard University. By 2024, seven World KLEMS conferences were held and participants have discussed several productivity issues. These conferences have contributed to construction of industry-level productivity database and inspiring the policies for productivity improvements.
This is the second World KLEMS Conference in Tokyo, with the first one held in 2014. This conference is organized by Gakushuin University, Hitotsubashi University, and Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI). Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (No. 22KK0021 and 23K01381), and the Japan Productivity Center are providing financial support for the conference.
Recent studies on productivity exhibit the following features. First, productivity databases have been developed not only in advanced economies but also in developing countries, as productivity issues attract the attention of many scholars and policymakers. For instance, productivity improvement has been a key focus of economic policy for the Japanese government since the 2010s.
Second, the range of factors driving productivity growth is expanding. For example, research on the effects of intangibles, digitalization, and AI on productivity improvements has been growing. Consequently, the conference sessions will address not only country-level KLEMS databases but also several critical factors, such as intangibles, supply chains, and AI, that influence productivity growth.
The conference program includes 17 sessions, along with a keynote speech by Professor Bart van Ark of Manchester University and a panel discussion on Global Supply Chains and Productivity. The panel will feature distinguished participants, including Professor Kyoji Fukao (RIETI and Hitotsubashi University), Professor Richard Baldwin (IMD Business School), Professor Shujiro Urata (RIETI, ERIA and Waseda University), and Professor David Weinstein (Columbia University). Professor Tomohiko Inui (Gakushuin University) will serve as the moderator for the event.
The IARIW-Hitotsubashi University Special Conference (https://www.sds.hit-u.ac.jp/2324/ ) will be also held at International House of Japan on March 24th and 25th ,2025. The conference will focus on issues related to population aging. If you are interested in this topic, we encourage you to join us. Additionally, the conference will include a mini excursion on March 26, offering an opportunity to enjoy Japan’s beautiful spring landscapes, such as temples adorned with cherry blossoms.
