China’s Specialization in Innovative Manufacturing

2021 ◽  
pp. 111-150
Author(s):  
Jonas Nahm

Chapter 5 turns to the case of China. It shows that wind and solar firms—often in outright defiance of central government goals—relied on local-level support for large-scale manufacturing in the process of industrial upgrading. Contrary to the ambitions of policymakers seeking to build autonomous domestic industries, these capabilities were brought to bear on product development in collaboration with global partners. The chapter uses firm-level data to explain the establishment of capabilities in innovative manufacturing—research and development skills focused on the commercialization and rapid scale-up to mass production. The second half of the chapter examines the role of collaborative advantage in allowing firms to choose their specialization in innovative manufacturing. It shows how collaborative advantage enabled renewable energy firms to build on local government institutions for mass production that diverged sharply from central government goals.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Berihu Assefa Gebrehiwot

Abstract Using a large dataset from the 10 largest cities in Ethiopia, this paper studies what entrepreneurial characteristics and attributes contribute to quality job creation in the micro and small enterprises (MSE) sector. We measure job quality in two ways – i) using wage and contract, and ii) health and occupational safety variables. We find that micro and small enterprises that create quality jobs tend to be operated by highly educated and experienced entrepreneurs. This highlights the role of human capital in quality job creation and poverty reduction. Further, we find that micro and small enterprises that create quality jobs tend to be larger in size and managed by professionally recruited managers.


2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroyuki Yamada ◽  
Tien Manh Vu

Abstract In literature, there is limited direct evidence regarding the effect of health insurance coverage on firm performance and worker productivity. We study the impacts of health insurance on medium- and large-scale domestic private firms’ performance and productivity in Vietnam, using a large firm level census dataset. We find statistically, but suggestive, positive health insurance effects on both aggregate profit and profit per worker for both complying and non-complying firms when using the full sample. We further restrict the sample to specific industries. The positive health insurance effects could exist for both complying and non-complying firms in the heavy manufacturing and construction sector, while such positive effects could be only significant for complying firms in the wholesale/retail sectors. We could not find any evidence of positive health insurance effects in the light manufacturing sector. These results imply that the impacts of health insurance could be industry specific.


Author(s):  
Ruslan N. Shutov

The research is devoted to the study of the emergence and evolution of the institution of governorship. We consider the place and role, the specifics of the division of powers of the gover-nor-general and the ruler of the viceroyalty in the system of government of the Russian state in 1775–1796. Catherine II, from the beginning of her reign, made many efforts to strengthen the authority and power of the sovereign’s representative at local level – the governor. The governor-general and the governor were representatives of the central government and carried out its in-structions. In the newly created viceroyalties, the governor served as the direct ruler of the vice-royalty, and the role of the governor–general was to oversee the local administration and the com-munication between it and the central government. The inconsistency of the administrative and territorial reform led to the fact that one governor-general was appointed to several governorates, and the governor remained in each. The vertical structure of executive power built by Catherine II led to the high authority and quite successful activity of the governors. After becoming emperor, Paul I brought the reform carried out by Catherine II to its logical conclusion. During the reform of the governorate administration, the institution of the governor-general was abolished, and the governor became the main type of governor of the governorate.


2019 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tetsuji Okazaki ◽  
Toshihiro Okubo ◽  
Eric Strobl

The Great Kanto Earthquake occurred on 1 September 1923 and inflicted serious damage on Yokohama City. About 90 percent of the factories in Yokohama City were burnt down or completely destroyed. However, these manufacturing industries appear to have swiftly recovered in the aftermath of the damage. This article investigates the role of creative destruction due to the Great Kanto Earthquake. Using firm-level data on capital (horsepower of motors) before and after the earthquake, we find substantial creative destruction, that is, upgrade of machine technology and/or survival of efficient firms. We find further collaborating evidence of this at the prefecture level.


Arts ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 19
Author(s):  
Déirdre Kelly

It seems inherent in the nature of contemporary artist’s book production to continue to question the context for the genre in contemporary art practice, notwithstanding the medium’s potential for dissemination via mass production and an unquestionable advantage of portability for distribution. Artists, curators and editors operating in this sector look to create contexts for books in a variety of imaginative ways, through exhibition, commission, installations, performance and, of course as documentation. Broadening the discussion of the idea of the book within contemporary art practice, this paper examines the presence and role of book works within the context of the art biennale, in particular the Venice Art Biennale of which the 58th iteration (2019) is entitled ‘May You Live In Interesting Times’ and curated by Ralph Rugoff, with an overview of the independent International cultural offerings and the function of the ‘Book Pavilion’. Venetian museums and institutions continue to present vibrant diverse works within the arena of large-scale exhibitions, recognising the position that the book occupies in the history of the city. This year, the appearance for the first time, of ‘Book Biennale’, opens up a new and interesting dialogue, taking the measure of how the book is being promoted and its particular function for visual communication within the arts in Venice and beyond.


2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 32-68
Author(s):  
Cielo Magno ◽  
Ricardo Rafael S. Guzman

Abstract Economies that derive substantial government revenues from natural resources face the unique challenge of implementing fiscal regimes that deliver a fair share of rents without discouraging private investment in extractive sectors. However, designing progressive and non-distortionary fiscal tools requires an evaluation of the current fiscal regime and the extent to which it captures the resource rent – the surplus return above the value of capital, labor, and opportunity costs incurred to exploit the resource. To evaluate the efficiency of the Philippines’ fiscal regime, we compare the resource rent to government revenues from mining activity. Then, we estimate the effective tax rates under the current fiscal regime and other combinations of fiscal tools. First, we look at aggregated tax payments of all large-scale mining companies over a ten-year period and compare them with the estimated resource rent. Second, we model the different tax regimes using firm-level data from a nickel mine. We propose a fiscal regime for the mining sector in the Philippines that is least distortionary while appropriate given the country’s regulatory context and administrative capacity.


2005 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 60-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Dekle ◽  
Cathy Karnchanasai ◽  
Pongsak Hoontrakul

We examine the role of financing constraints in depressing output during the Asian financial crisis, using Thai firm-level data. From an output decline of 3.7 percent in our sample in 1998, we find that tightening financing constraints contributed to lowering output by 1.7 percent. We also find evidence of high scale economies or high fixed costs in Thai industries. With high fixed costs, small changes in unit costs or financing costs can lead to large changes in output. We interpret the high fixed costs as evidence of overinvestment prior to the crisis.


2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan S. Blyde ◽  
Mayra A. Ramírez

Empirical analyses that rely on micro-level panel data have found that exporters are generally less pollutant than non-exporters. While alternative explanations have been proposed, firm level data has not been used to examine the role of destination markets behind the relationship between exports and pollution. In this paper we argue that because consumers in high-income countries have higher valuations for clean environments than consumers in developing countries, exporters targeting high-income countries are more likely to improve their environmental outcomes than exporters targeting destinations where valuations for the environment are not high. Using a panel of firm-level data from Chile we find support to this hypothesis. A 10 percentage point increase in the share of exports to high-income countries is associated with a reduction in CO2 pollution intensity of about 16%. The results have important implications for firms in developing countries aiming to target high-income markets.


2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 373-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Hagsten ◽  
Anna Sabadash

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to broaden the perspective on how information and communication technology (ICT) relates to productivity by introducing a novel ICT variable: the share of ICT-schooled employees in firms, an intangible input often neglected or difficult to measure. Design/methodology/approach Based on a Cobb-Douglas production function specification, the association between the share of ICT-schooled employees and firm productivity is estimated by the use of unique comparable multi-linked firm-level data sets from statistical offices in six European countries for the period of 2001-2009. Findings There are indications that the share of ICT-schooled employees significantly and positively relates to productivity, and also that this relationship is generally more persistent than that of ICT intensity of firms, measured as the proportion of broadband internet-enabled employees. However, the strength of the association varies across countries and demonstrates that underlying factors, such as industry structure and institutional settings might be of importance too. Research limitations/implications Data features and the way to access harmonised firm-level data across countries affect the choice of econometric approach and output variable. Practical implications The results emphasise the importance of specific ICT skills in firms independently of where in the organisation the employee works. Originality/value Studies on associations between employees with specific (higher) education based on formal credentials and productivity are rare. Even more uncommon is the cross-country setting with harmonised data including general ICT intensity of firms.


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