There's nothing like a little competition to suddenly boost productivity. Competition forced miners to double the amount of iron ore they dug per hour, as told in one case study. In another, competition forced concrete companies to become more efficient or go under, said Chad Syverson, associate professor of economics at the University of Chicago and a productivity specialist. Syverson spoke to students and faculty at a Brown Bag lunch lecture hosted by The Becker Center of Chicago Price Theory and sponsored by Vishal Verma, '07 (XP-76), May 10 at the Charles M. Harper Center.