Microeconomic Reforms and Australian Productivity: Exploring the Links

VOLUME 1

Preliminaries
Cover, Copyright, Foreword, Acknowledgements, Contents, Preface, Abbreviations, Key Points, Overview

1   Scope of the paper

2   Microeconomic reform, productivity and living standards
2.1   Background to economic reforms in Australia
2.2   Objectives of microeconomic reforms
2.3   The implementation of reforms
2.4   Key points

3   Productivity performance
3.1   An historical perspective
3.2   An international perspective
3.3   A sectoral perspective
3.4   Key points

4   What raises productivity?
4.1   A framework of major factors affecting productivity
4.2   Trends in productivity determinants
4.3   Possible explanations for the recent acceleration in productivity growth
4.4   Key points

5   Manufacturing sector case studies
5.1   An outline of main reforms in the three industries
5.2   Increased competition
5.3   Industry responses to pressures for change
5.4   Productivity performance
5.5   Contribution of microeconomic reforms
5.6   Key points

6   Public sector case studies
6.1   NSW rail freight services
6.2   Contracting of Yarra Valley Water civil maintenance services
6.3   Key points

7   The outlook on productivity growth
7.1   The 1990s experience and level and growth effects
7.2   Level effects from reform
7.3   Growth effects from reform
7.4   The outlook

A   Background on protection policy and GBE reform
A.1   Reform of protection policy
A.2   Reform of government business enterprises

B   A framework of productivity determinants
B.1   Background on the literature
B.2   Broad sources of productivity improvement
B.3   An outline of productivity determinants

C   Australian trends in productivity determinants
C.1   Technological advance
C.2   Accumulation of physical capital
C.3   Accumulation of human capital
C.4   Scale, scope and specialisation
C.5   Firm organisation, management practices and work arrangements
C.6   Resource allocation
C.7   Openness
C.8   Competition

References

VOLUME 2

Preliminaries
Cover, Copyright, Contents

1   Whitegoods
1.1   Introduction
1.2   Australia’s whitegoods industry prior to reform
1.3   MER and other influences during the 1980s and 1990s
1.4   MER pressures, strategic responses and outcomes
1.5   Conclusions

2   Automotive industry
2.1   An overview of the development of the automotive industry
2.2   Factors affecting the industry
2.3   Increasing competition
2.4   Industry responses
2.5   Productivity performance
2.6   Role of microeconomic reforms

3   Textiles, clothing and footwear
3.1   An overview of the development of the TCF industries
3.2   Factors affecting the industry
3.3   Increasing competition
3.4   Industry responses
3.5   Productivity performance
3.6   Reductions in protection and productivity

4   NSW rail freight operations
4.1   Background
4.2   NSW rail freight prior to microeconomic reform
4.3   Microeconomic reforms and other sources of change
4.4   Response of NSW government rail freight operators
4.5   Productivity performance
4.6   Assessing the influence of microeconomic reforms

5   Yarra Valley Water
5.1   Introduction
5.2   Background
5.3   Yarra Valley Water’s civil maintenance services
5.4   Productivity analysis
5.5   Conclusions

References