But focus instead on productivity, by dividing these figures by a tally of hours worked, and the gap closes further. As a result of demography—western Europe ha

But focus instead on productivity, by dividing these figures by a tally of hours worked, and the gap closes further. As a result of demography—western Europe has a larger share of elderly people than America does—and because of differences in holiday allowances, pensions and unemployment benefits, Europeans work less than Americans do. The real story