Recognizing the need to find new sources of growth, towards the end of Jimmy Carter’s presidency, and then under Ronald Reagan, the United States deregulated industry and the financial sector, as did Margaret Thatcher in the United Kingdom. Productivity growth increased substantially in these countries over time, which persuaded Continental Europe to adopt reforms of its own, often pushed by the European Commission.
美国从吉米·卡特任期后半段和罗纳德·里根任期内开始认识到需要寻找新的增长源，并对产业和金融部门实施了去监管化，与此同时，撒切尔夫人在英国也采取了相似的动作。多年来，这些国家的生产率有了显著提高，受此影响，欧洲大陆国家也采取了改革（大多由欧洲委员会推动）。