Fifty Years of Productivity Research: A Bibliometric Mapping and Multilevel Framework of Determinants

ABSTRACT This study provides a comprehensive quantitative review of the determinants of aggregate productivity growth using bibliometric and network‐based methods. Drawing on 523 peer‐reviewed articles published between 1973 and 2024 in Scopus and Web of Science, the study systematically maps the intellectual foundations, research fronts, and conceptual evolution of the field. Results show that research has remained overwhelmingly macro‐focused, with 85%–90% of studies addressing aggregate‐level determinants. Innovation, institutions, and technology diffusion dominate the literature, while firm‐level (microeconomic) explanations, though increasing since the mid‐2000s, remain secondary, largely addressing resource allocation. Competition, firm‐level innovation, and organizational capabilities are underexplored despite their relevance for aggregate outcomes. By combining co‐citation, bibliographic coupling, and keyword co‐occurrence analyses, the study reveals the multilevel structure of productivity research, illustrating how macro theories, meso‐level sectoral mechanisms, and micro‐level firm dynamics interact. These findings highlight the limits of macro‐centric explanations of productivity slowdowns and underscore the need to explore cross‐level mechanisms, firm heterogeneity, and institutional interactions. This study offers a novel methodological benchmark and a structured agenda for research and policy, aiming to enhance productivity growth.