During the late 1990s, productivity soared and ignited a "new economy" debate over whether the phenomenon was temporary or permanent. More recently, productivity growth has been unusually strong in the face of an abruptly slowing economy, surprising many skeptics who viewed the boom times of the 1990s as a temporary blip. The nation's economic future undoubtedly depends to a great degree on the path of future productivity. Is there enough evidence from recent experience to conclude that there has been a productivity miracle and that productivity will be higher in the future? Which policies might best set the stage for a continuation of the positive productivity experience? And if higher productivity is accomplished, how will it change the course of the economy?

Among the speakers are R. Glenn Hubbard of the President's Council of Economic Advisers and Kathleen Utgoff, chair of the Bureau of Labor Statistics; CEOs Richard Davidson of the Union Pacific Corporation and J. T. Battenberg, III, of the Delphi Corporation; and economists Martin Baily, former chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, and Frank Lichtenberg of Columbia University.