This article attempts to explain the relatively poor productivity growth in four major EU countries (Germany, France, United Kingdom, and Netherlands) relative to the United States. Our study is carried out from a sectoral perspective, focussing on the financial and business services sectors....

Governments and central banks need to have an accurate and timely assessment of gross domestic product's (GDP) growth rate for the current quarter, as this is essential for providing a reliable and early analysis of the current economic situation. This paper presents a series of models conceived...