I have a question: Can anyone steer me to a source that supports the following assertion, made by Harvard economist Kenneth Rogoff in a recent op-ed?

Consider the following stunning fact: together with a few sister “big box” stores (Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot), Wal-Mart accounts for roughly 50% of America’s much vaunted productivity growth edge over Europe during the last decade. Fifty percent! Similar advances in wholesaling supply chains account for another 25%! The notion that Americans have gotten better at everything while other rich countries have stood still is thus wildly misleading. The US productivity miracle and the emergence of Wal-Mart-style retailing are virtually synonymous.

It's not that I disbelieve it, I just have never seen such a claim made (or defended) before this. Anyone who can shed some light here is invited to either leave a comment or email me -- medebow at samford dot edu

Thanks!

BTW, Rogoff briefly discusses the research of the U. of Minnesota's Thomas Holmes on the reasons for Wal-Mart's success, which includes a pretty cool animation of the firm's growth over time.