Treasury Guest Lecture: Productivity in a Changing World Series - Kevin Fox

About this presentation
This talk by Professor Kevin Fox will present new research on the effectiveness of alternative uses of public funds in supporting Research and Development (R&D). Such funding includes R&D tax incentives for the business sector and support for university research.
The objective of most public funding for R&D is to support innovation to raise productivity and economic growth. More specifically, the policy goal seems to be to support technological progress. But does it? Using an innovative approach which decomposes productivity growth into technological change and efficiency change components, the results show how different public funding for R&D can have different outcomes.
This seminar will be available both in-person and online and will provide the audience with a chance to engage in a discussion with Kevin.
About the presenter
Kevin Fox is a Professor of Economics and Director of Centre for Applied Economic Research at the UNSW Business School.
He works primarily in the field of economic measurement, with a focus on productivity and prices. His research on the use of scanner data in price indices has changed inflation measurement in multiple countries, including New Zealand. He has worked extensively with firm-level data and his current research interests include the valuation of free digital goods and the effectiveness of public R&D funding.
He is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia and advises multiple agencies, including the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Productivity Commission, and the United Nations.
About this seminar series
New ideas, cutting-edge thinking, research evidence and expert advice are all critical for stimulating and provoking our thinking here at the Treasury. Our current guest lectures theme - Productivity in a Changing World - recognises that lifting our productivity performance continues to be central to improving New Zealanders’ wellbeing and that we are facing this challenge in the context of significant economic, social and environmental shifts. These shifts will require major changes in our economy if we are to sustain and improve our economic and productivity performance.