In search of structural change surplus and perpetual growth in Ethiopia

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 241-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zerayehu Sime Eshete ◽  
Peter Kiko Kimuyu

Purpose – The Ethiopian economy is characterized by erratic and poor performance with negative growth rates, seven times over the period 1981-2010. This trapped per capita income at 358 USD in 2010 staying far away from middle-income country status. A lot of unsolved debates regarding perpetual growth, structural change and sectoral allocation of resource emerged overtime. The purpose of this paper is to examine the alternative effects of induced sectoral total factor productivity and makes comparisons of various sectoral growth options. Design/methodology/approach – This study uses a recursive dynamic computable general equilibrium model based on neoclassical-structuralist thought. It also calibrates coefficients that capture the impacts of openness, imported capital and liberalization on sectoral total factor productivity growth using a model of vector auto-regressive with exogenous variables. Findings – Future economic growth rate is expected to grow at a declining trend and to be dominated by the service sector. If it keeps growing on the current path it will expose the economy to a severe structural change burden problem. Openness induced agricultural total factor productivity highly improves the welfare of households while imported capital goods induced industrial total factor productivity is also better in fostering structural change of the economy. The broad-based growth option that combines the induced total factor productivity of all sectors also enables the economy to achieve more sustainable growth, rapid structural change and welfare gain at the same time. Originality/value – There are intensive and charged debates regarding alternative sectoral growth options. However, the debate does not derive from a rigorous analysis and holistic economy-wide approach. It is rather affiliated with politics. Therefore, the paper is original and investigates these issues meticulously.

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 285-305
Author(s):  
Ivana Blažková ◽  
Ondřej Dvouletý ◽  
Ondřej Machek

PurposeThe paper aims to investigate factors that drive the total factor productivity (TFP) and its growth in the Czech food industry over 2003–2017. The authors’ analysis focuses on firm-level characteristics such as location choice, sub-sector affiliation, use of debt, liquidity, asset turnover, firm size and firm age.Design/methodology/approachThe determinants of productivity were tested econometrically by estimation of multivariate regression models. The firm-level panel data set consisted of 14,488 observations (data of 980 firms spanning 15 years). TFP was estimated by three regression-based techniques – ordinary least squares (OLS) regression, instrumental variables (IV) approach and two-way generalized method of moments (GMM) regression. All three measures of TFP were used as outcome variables to estimate the impact of firm-level determinants on both TFP level and growth.FindingsThe results have shown statistically significant and reversed U-shaped relationship between the firm age and the TFP level (with a turning point in the age of 12.5 years). However, the dynamic models investigating the TFP growth have found that younger firms achieve higher productivity growth in comparison with older ones. Higher market share and assets turnover were positively associated with both TFP level and its growth.Research limitations/implicationsThis study brings several relevant propositions for future research. First, the authors recommend future researchers to study not only differences in the levels of productivity but also determinants of its growth. Second, the authors believe that adding a non-linear component to age as a factor explaining changes in the levels of productivity might be a very relevant contribution to the literature.Originality/valueAlthough it is generally accepted that successful and sustainable growth of firms, regions and economies can be achieved particularly through viable companies with high productivity, there is still a limited number of firm-level studies explaining the determinants of productivity levels and growth in agribusiness sectors in transition economies. Therefore, this study is expected to contribute to a better understanding of this important topic.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oxana Krutova ◽  
Pertti Koistinen ◽  
Tuuli Turja ◽  
Harri Melin ◽  
Tuomo Särkikoski

PurposeThis paper aims to examine how input from the digital restructuring of the workplace and productivity affects the risk of job loss and unemployment.Design/methodology/approachRelying on the concepts of technological unemployment and the productivity paradox as well as the theory of skills-biased technological change, the analysis incorporated micro-level individual determinants of job loss, macro-level economic determinants of input and the contribution from traditional (machinery and equipment) vs innovative (ICT) factors of production. The model has been also controlled for “traditional” indicators of “outsiderness” in the labour market. The Quality of Work Life Survey, which is a broad-based national interview survey produced by Statistics Finland, for 2018, the latest year available (N = 4,110) has been used in the analysis. Binomial logistic regression has been applied in order to estimate the effects of individual- and macro-level factors on the risk of job loss.FindingsThe results support arguments for the divergence between effects from labour- vs total-factor productivity on the risks of job loss, as well as the divergence between effects for temporary (layoff) vs permanent job loss (dismissal or unemployment). While the contribution from “traditional” factors of production to labour productivity potentially decreases the risk of permanent job loss, input from “innovative” factors of production on total-factor productivity potentially causes adverse effects (e.g. growing risks of permanent job loss).Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the theoretical discussion about technological unemployment and productivity by means of including two different concepts into a single econometric model, thus enabling examination of the research problem in an innovative way.


2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (7) ◽  
pp. 1937-1955 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nitin Arora ◽  
Preeti Lohani

Purpose Foreign firms have certain advantages which may spillover to domestic firms in the form of improvements in total factor productivity (TFP) growth. The purpose of this paper is to empirically observe the presence of TFP spillovers of foreign direct investment (FDI) to domestic firms through analyzing source of TFP growth in Indian drugs and pharmaceutical industry. Design/methodology/approach This paper examines the sources of TFP spillovers of FDI in Indian drugs and pharmaceutical industry over the period 1999 to 2014. The data of 304 firms has been used for estimation of the growth rates of TFP and its sources under stochastic frontier analyses based Malmquist productivity index framework. For frontier estimation, the Wang and Ho (2010) model has been executed using translog form of production function. Findings The results show that there exists significant TFP spillover effect from the presence of foreign equity in drugs and pharmaceutical industry of India. The results also show that the major source of TFP fluctuations in the said industry is managerial efficiency that has been significantly affected by FDI spillover variables. In sum, the phenomenon of significant Intra-industry (horizontal) efficiency led productivity spillovers of FDI found valid in case of Indian drugs and pharmaceutical industry. Research limitations/implications The number of foreign firms is very less to imitate the significant impact of foreign investment on TFP growth of Indian pharmaceutical industry at aggregated level; and the Wang and Ho (2010) model is failing to capture direct impact of FDI on technological change under Malmquist framework. Practical implications Since, there exists dominance of domestic firms in Indian drugs and pharmaceutical industry, the planners should follow the policy which not only attract FDI but also benefit domestic firms; for example, developing modern infrastructure and institution which will further help domestic firms to absorb spillovers provided by the Multinational Corporations and also accelerate the growth and development of the economy. Social implications In no case, the foreign firms should dominate the market share otherwise the efficiency spillover effect will be negative and the domestic firms will be destroyed under the self-centric approach of foreign firms protected by the recent patent laws. Originality/value The study is a unique attempt to discuss the production structure and sources of TFP spillovers of FDI in Indian drugs and pharmaceutical industry with such a wide coverage of 304 firms over a period of 16 years under Wang and Ho (2010) model’s framework. The existing studies on TFP spillovers are using either a small sample size of firms or based upon traditional techniques of measuring spillover effects.


2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 260-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Feng ◽  
Lingdi Zhao ◽  
Huanyu Jia ◽  
Shuangyu Shao

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the effectiveness of the Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB) strategy and its role of industrial productivity in China. Design/methodology/approach To identify the causal effect of this strategy on industrial sustainable development, the authors first use the slacks-based measure model to calculate industries’ total-factor productivity (TFP) considered with CO2 emissions as undesirable output on the provincial level. Then, the authors use the PSM-DID method to identify the difference of TFPs between provinces and industries before and after the implementation of SREB strategy. Findings However, the authors find that there is no difference or even a relative decrease in TFPs of industries in target provinces after the implementation of the strategy, which reveals that the SREB strategy does not play a positive role of the industries’ sustainable development in years of 2014 and 2015. Originality/value The value of this result is to identify the short-term impact of SREB strategy and to seek for probable causes and appropriate solutions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sang-Chul Yoon

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine an endogenous growth model, as a component of a broader study of servicization with skill premium and its policy implications in the evolving digital economy. Design/methodology/approach This paper develops a two-sector endogenous growth model which allows for the observed characteristics of digitally empowered structural changes. Specifically, the driving force of economic growth is the expanding variety of intermediate services as a consequence of innovation in services. The introduction of new intermediate services specifically contributes to total factor productivity in the production of service sector, and thus an uneven growth path with skill premium toward a service economy generally exists. Findings The principal finding of this paper is that the digitally empowered expanding variety of intermediate services due to innovation contributes significantly to total factor productivity in the production of service sector, and thus a servicization with skill premium generally exists along a steady-state path. In addition, this paper derives an optimal innovation policy to rule out the market failures due to innovation externality and market power in monopolistic competition conditions, and shows the Rybczynski effects of exogenous endowment changes in the evolving digital economy. Originality/value The principal contribution of this paper is to determine how unbalanced endogenous growth along a steady-state path is linked with a service economy with skill premium in the evolving digital economy. In addition to this analysis, this paper provides policy implications – namely, that a positive but finite innovation subsidy can achieve the social optimum in the digital economy, and that an exogenous increase in high-skilled labor can speed up a digitally empowered economic growth.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 290-303
Author(s):  
Phuong Thi Nguyen ◽  
Minh Khac Nguyen

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine resource misallocation among Vietnam’s small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the manufacturing sector. The paper also aims to consider selective factors on reducing the level of resource misallocation in SMEs. Design/methodology/approach Resource misallocation and efficiency gains in total factor productivity (TFP) are assessed using Vietnam’s annual enterprise survey data for the period 2000–2015 and an appropriate productivity decomposition framework. Findings Resource misallocation is found to be higher among SMEs than large scale enterprises. TFP is found to 116.3 per cent greater if there is no resource misallocation among SMEs. Smaller scale, lower market concentration, trade liberalisation and corruption control are found to be associated with lower level of resource misallocation in SMEs. Research limitations/implications The major limitation of this study is that it has only decomposed misallocation of resources arising from output and capital distortions and that it focusses on selective factors contribution to reducing misallocation level in SMEs. Originality/value Resource misallocation is attracting attention in both developed and developing countries. However, knowledge about resource misallocation among SMEs is limited, particularly in the context of developing countries. This paper assesses the level of resource misallocation among SMEs in Vietnamese manufacturing sector.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 134-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mina Sami ◽  
Randa El Bedawy

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of knowledge management (KM) on the total factor productivity (TFP) at the organizational level in Egypt. Design/methodology/approach Using the novel available EC 2013 data set, which includes approximately 60,000 private organizations in Egypt, the paper explores the relationship between KM and TFP. For the purpose of dealing with endogeneity, the two-stage least squares econometric model has been implemented. Findings The study reveals that KM impacts positively the TFP of the Egyptian organizations. Conspicuously, each 10 percent increase in KM is associated with 9.3 percent increase in TFP. Originality/value The role of KM in the organizations has been under-researched globally, especially in Africa. This study contributes to the current literature by assessing the impact of KM on TFP, which represents the most comprehensive measure of the firm productivity; by implementing a novel instrumental variable in order to deal with endogeneity between KM and TFP; and by generating a more nuanced measure for the knowledge intensity that is not based on any financial indicator as in the most of the previous studies. Original findings can be highlighted from the paper as it demonstrates that the impact of KM is more important than proposed by the current literature. Conspicuously, the KM does not merely impact the customer satisfaction, the quality improvement and the profit margin, but it also impacts the TFP of the organizations.


Subject Total factor productivity. Significance The first estimates in the 1960s suggested that the growth of labour and capital inputs accounted for 20-30% of economic growth, implying that total factor productivity (TFP) improvements accounted for the remaining 70-80%. However, the skills embodied in labour and the technology embodied in capital can now be measured much more accurately. After these contributions are subtracted, the role of TFP in growth is reduced. Impacts Improvement in the quality of capital is closely tied to rising investment in capital, especially information and computer technology. If investment growth continues to slow, this will affect future output both through the volume of capital as well as its productive quality. Ageing populations and persistent ultra-low rates raise ‘secular stagnation’ fears; the future will depend on a better-educated workforce.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashiq Mohd Ilyas ◽  
S. Rajasekaran

PurposeThis paper aims to measure the change and the sources of change in total factor productivity (TFP) of the Indian non-life insurance sector over the period 2005–2016.Design/methodology/approachThis study employs the bootstrapped Malmquist index (MI) to assess the changes in the TFP and adopts a decomposition approach proposed by Balk and Zofío (2018). Moreover, it utilises truncated regression to identify the determinants of the TFP. In addition, it employs Wilcoxon-W test and t-test to scrutinise the difference between the state-owned and the private insurers in terms of variations in TFP and its various components.FindingsThe results divulge a miniature improvement in TFP of the insurance sector, which is primarily attributable to the improvement in scale efficiency (economies of scale). The results also reveal that there are no significant TFP differences across the ownership. However, private insurers have better scale efficiency and lower input-mix efficiency than state-owned insurers. In addition, the results unveil that size, diversification and reinsurance have a negative impact on the TFP, while age has a positive impact on it.Practical implicationsThe results may help the policymakers to frame new consolidation policies. Moreover, the findings may guide the decision-makers of the Indian non-life insurance companies to abate inefficiency and improve TFP.Originality/valueThis study estimates bias-corrected changes in TFP and efficiency in the non-life insurance sector. Moreover, it adopts an elaborated decomposition of the MI to identify the true sources of change in the TFP.


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