Raksti konferenču krājumā un tēzes (BVEF) / Conference Papers and Abstracts

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Browsing Raksti konferenču krājumā un tēzes (BVEF) / Conference Papers and Abstracts by Author "Baranova, Daira"

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    Productivity trends and income inequality in Latvia
    (University of Latvia, 2020) Baranova, Daira; Baranovs, Olegs; Skribane, Irina
    Increasing labour productivity is a key driver for prosperity. Although Latvia's productivity growth rates are among the highest in the EU, productivity growth has declined in recent years. With the productivity dynamics slowing down, the pace of convergence is also slower. The benefits of the recent economic recovery in Latvia have not been evenly distributed among households and income inequality has not diminished significantly. The recent OECD and academic studies point to a correlation between falling productivity and increasing income inequality. The more unequal a society is, the more it affects productivity growth and the sustainability of growth. Improving productivity has the potential to affect inequalities in a positive and negative way. To find suitable policy answers therefore is extremely challenging. The research describes the dynamics of productivity and income inequality, their interaction in Latvia. The research is based on existing data, studies, and policy documents. It aims to integrate the available data from a broad range of international and domestic sources from the perspective of Latvia. The research argues that easy gains from catching up are over, keeping productivity dynamic will not be easy, as the factors that provided relatively high productivity rates in previous periods are likely to be exhausted and companies are approaching the limits of existing technology. Continued progress in implementing structural reforms will be needed to reduce the productivity gap, only systemic implementation of all policies and structural reforms can provide a desirable outcome. In order to reduce income inequality, it is important to strengthen the competitiveness of the regions of Latvia and to improve the tax and benefit system.
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    Trends and Drivers of Productivity Growth in Latvia
    (University of Latvia, 2019) Baranova, Daira
    Designing policies to rise in productivity and understanding global challenges affecting the growth is an important current issue. Trends and drivers of productivity growth continue to be a key theme for researchers and policy makers. Productivity growth has generally slowed over past decade. OECD, IMF, World Bank, the European Commission deal with different aspects of productivity. The research aims are to analyse foundations of productivity measurement and causes of actual trends, policies fostering productivity growth and promoting sustained economic growth. The research consists of two parts. In the first part, review of research papers on productivity has been done. The OECD methodology of productivity measurement and relations between structural reforms and productivity growth is the focus of this part. Second part of the research deals with trends and causes of the current situation. The problem of productivity growth in Latvia and in the EU is analysed based on empirical data and calculations. This part of the research is also dedicated to economic policy fostering productivity growth. Results of the paper find different factors with negative impact on productivity, and factors with positive impact on productivity. Effects on productivity depend on the purpose of productivity measurement as well as on impact on productivity in the short-run or in the long-run.