The issue of productivity and the related issue of innovation continue to be high on the public policy agenda. Policymakers are particularly interested in the social aspects of productivity. In The Review of Economic Performance and Social Progress, 2002, the second issue of a new annual, authors examine the two-way linkages between productivity and various measures of social progress in Canada. Papers in the volume fall into two main themes: the effects of productivity on social progress indicators and the social determinants of productivity.

Considers obstacles and opportunities associated with active labour market policies in Canada.

Each article in this collection addresses a particular field or issue in the discipline of economics and surveys the state of knowledge in this area in Canada, pointing out gaps in the knowledge base and directions for future research. (Queen's University), Paul Davenport (University of Western Ontario), Pierre Fortin (University of Quebec at Montreal), Fred Gorbet (York University), Morley Gunderson (University of Toronto), John Helliwell (University of British Columbia), Peter Howitt (Brown University), Katie Macmillan (ITPC), Jack Mintz (C.D. Howe Institute), Ed Nuefeld, Charles Beach...