We define “specification” (spec) for any product as being higher the more characteristics it possesses, the more willing its producer is to customise it for different consumers and the faster the rate at which its characteristics change through time. Spec is one important dimension of quality. The others relate to how well the product is delivered to spec. It is an important concept for the study of education and training policy. Our hypothesis is that lower spec products are high spec products.
Many commentators believe that UK business produces more at the low spec end than do our major competitors. This introduces the possibility that the UK’s modest (by international standards) education and training record might, in part, be the consequence of low employer demand for skill as opposed to failings in the education and training system.
The evidence on product spec is fragmentary. This paper attempts a systematic review of what is available. Different authors often use different definitions of quality, whilst few specifically address the issue of spec. Some of the evidence is direct, coming from case studies or from hedonic regression analysis. Some of it is derived, usually indirectly. From surveys of enterprises. There are also long traditions of using evidence on comparative prices and on elasticity of export demand to make inferences about quality.
As far as the broader issue of UK quality is concerned, we conclude that it is hard to make conclusive international comparisons or intertemporal assessments on the basis of available studies. The same is true of the narrower concept of product spec. The paper concludes with suggestions for making more progress then hitherto.