scholarly journals Trade Liberalization and Productivity Growth: Firm-Level Analysis from Kenya

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 439-460
Author(s):  
Stephen Esaku ◽  
Waldo Krugell
Keyword(s):  
Trade Liberalization ◽  
Productivity Growth ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
High Productivity ◽  
Industrial Performance ◽  
Unit Reduction ◽  
Heterogeneous Effect ◽  
The Impact

We analyze the impact of trade liberalization on firm productivity growth in Kenya’s manufacturing sector, using a panel spanning 8 years; 1992-1999. Our analysis reveals that liberalizing trade generates high productivity improvements in the manufacturing sector. We find that a one-unit reduction in import duties as a percentage of total imports significantly increases firm-level productivity in the manufacturing sector by 5.7%. When we examine this effect on the firm’s share of exported output, we find that lowering of import duties significantly increases the share of output exported by 0.7%. Further, we sought to assess how the effect of import duties varied across the different industries in our sample. Examining the effect of import duties on industrial performance, we find a negative and statistically significant relationship in some of the industries. Our results show heterogeneous effect of reduction of import duties on industrial performance. Not all industries benefited from the lowering of import duties, especially the food and bakery, and garment industry, where productivity did not increase. These findings have important policy implications for improving the manufacturing sector. Consequently, formulating policies that effectively relax restrictive barriers to trade in the economy could speed up firm-level productivity in the manufacturing sector.

Services Outsourcing and Productivity Growth

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 192-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonia Mukherjee
Keyword(s):  
Productivity Growth ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Core Competencies ◽  
Marketing Research ◽  
Manufacturing Firms ◽  
Professional Services ◽  
Business Services ◽  
Positive Role ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
The Impact

The article studies the impact of outsourcing services on the productivity growth of the Indian manufacturing firms. By the term services we mean different expenses on services incurred by the manufacturing firms, such as, advertising, marketing, research and development, consultancy, auditing, business services, knowledge-based services, technical, legal and other professional services (including information communication and technology services). With further expansion in newer services, a higher demand has come from the Indian manufacturing sector. With intensive usage of services in the manufacturing production process, the performance and the manufacturing can focus on the core competencies with outsourced and cheaper services from expert service provider. For this purpose, the firm-level data have been collected from the annual financial statements of the Centre for Monitoring of the Indian Economy’s Prowess database. The econometric results conclude that services have played a positive role in improving the productivity growth of the aggregate Indian manufacturing firms and at the disaggregated level, especially for industrial groups such as food, beverage and tobacco; textiles, gems and jewellery; transport; machinery; metal, rubber and plastic; leather and footwear; and chemicals, services have played a favourable role in boosting the productivity growth. JEL: D24, L80, L60

Impact of Determinants of Industrial Development on Employment and Wages in Indian Manufacturing

2020 ◽  
pp. 18-30
Keyword(s):  
Technical Efficiency ◽  
Total Factor Productivity ◽  
Technical Change ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Factor Productivity ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Employment Level ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Level Performance

ABSTRACT The present study was undertaken to explore the evolution of the impact of firm-level performance on employment level and wages in the Indian organized manufacturing sector over the period 1989-90 to 2013-14. One of the major components of the economic reform package was the deregulation and de-licensing in the Indian organized manufacturing sector. The impact of firm-level performance on employment and wages were estimated for Indian organized manufacturing sector in major sub-sectors in India during the period from 1989-90 to 2013-14 of the various variables namely profitability ratio, total factor productivity change, technical change, technical efficiency, openness (export-import), investment intensity, raw material intensity and FECI in total factor productivity index, technical efficiency, and technical change. The study exhibited that all explanatory variables except profitability ratio and technical change cost had a positive impact on the employment level. Out of eight variables, four variables such as net of foreign equity capital, investment intensity, TFPCH, and technical efficiency change showed a positive impact on wages and salary ratio and rest of the four variables such as openness intensity, technology acquisition index, profitability ratio, and technical change had negative impact on wages and salary ratio. In this context, the profit ratio should be distributed as per the marginal rule of economics such as the marginal productivity of labour and capital.

The Impact of the Business Environment on the Formalization of Informal Firms. The Case of Kosovo

Südosteuropa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 505-529
Author(s):  
Kujtim Zylfijaj ◽  
Dimitar Nikoloski ◽  
Nadine Tournois
Keyword(s):  
Negative Impact ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Tax Reforms ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Characteristics Analysis ◽  
Significant Negative Impact ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe research presented here investigates the impact of the business environment on the formalization of informal firms, using firm-level data for 243 informal firms in Kosovo. The findings indicate that business-environment variables such as limited access to financing, the cost of financing, the unavailability of subsidies, tax rates, and corruption have a significant negative impact on the formalization of informal firms. In addition, firm-level characteristics analysis suggests that the age of the firm also exercises a significant negative impact, whereas sales volume exerts a significant positive impact on the formalization of informal firms. These findings have important policy implications and suggest that the abolition of barriers preventing access to financing, as well as tax reforms and a consistent struggle against corruption may have a positive influence on the formalization of informal firms. On the other hand, firm owners should consider formalization to be a means to help them have greater opportunities for survival and growth.

Trade Liberalization and Productivity Performance: Evidence from the Australian Passenger Motor Vehicle Industry

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (03n04) ◽  
pp. 467-485 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lionel Bopage ◽  
Kishor Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Trade Liberalization ◽  
Productivity Growth ◽  
Economies Of Scale ◽  
Motor Vehicle ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Tariff Protection ◽  
Ongoing Debate ◽  
Motor Vehicle Industry ◽  
Production Subsidies

This paper contributes to the ongoing debate about the effects of trade liberalization on productivity performance of the Australian passenger motor vehicle industry, which has experienced significant liberalization over the years. Our analysis indicates that trade liberalization had a negative impact on productivity growth, at least in the immediate post-liberalization period. Empirical results suggest that economies of scale and tariff protection improve productivity, while industry assistance (such as the local content and duty drawback schemes and production subsidies) retards productivity. Policy implications of these findings are that there are dividends in terms of improved productivity by encouraging economies of scale, providing tariff protection and lowering industry assistance.

scholarly journals Pakistan’s Experience with the Pakistan–China FTA: Lessons for CPEC

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (Special Edition) ◽  
pp. 1-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theresa Theresa ◽  
Nida Jamil ◽  
Azam Chaudhry
Keyword(s):  
Free Trade Agreement ◽  
Market Access ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Trade Agreement ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Trade Data ◽  
Chinese Markets ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Tariff Reductions

As Pakistan enters the CPEC era, there is a sense of optimism as well as concern in the country, given the uncertain economic impact of this major collaboration between China and Pakistan. Using firm-level and trade data, we empirically test the impact of the 2006 free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries on the productivity, size and value added of potentially affected Pakistani firms. These results have important policy implications for CPEC initiatives. We start with a difference-in-difference analysis, comparing trends in those sectors in Pakistan made more vulnerable by tariff reductions on Chinese goods relative to sectors for which the tariff did not change significantly. Next, we examine those sectors in Pakistan that were given greater access to Chinese markets through reductions in the Chinese tariff on Pakistani goods relative to sectors for which market access remained roughly the same. In the sectors made more vulnerable by reductions in Pakistani tariffs on Chinese goods, imports to Pakistan have risen, while productivity, value added and value added per worker have fallen relative to other sectors since the FTA. In the sectors for which Pakistan gained access to Chinese markets, exports and employment have risen, but productivity and value added have fallen relative to other sectors since the FTA.

Trade Liberalization, Structural Change, and Economic Growth

2021 ◽  
pp. 407-441
Author(s):  
Michael Landesmann ◽  
Neil Foster-McGregor
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Structural Change ◽  
Trade Liberalization ◽  
Productivity Growth ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Adam Smith ◽  
Trade Theory ◽  
New Trade Theory ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Trade and the integration of countries into the global economy is one of the main forces shaping the structural composition of economies, an effect which in turn is expected to impact upon productivity and growth. Structural change can be restrained or reinforced by international trade. This chapter reviews the theory on the relationship between trade and trade liberalization and both structural change and growth, from the contributions of Adam Smith to the more recent new new trade theory beginning with the work of Melitz. The chapter further discusses the existing empirical evidence on the relationship between trade and structural change, before concluding by presenting evidence on the impact of trade liberalization on productivity growth for a broad sample of countries, further decomposing the effect into an effect due to structural change and an effect due to within sector productivity developments.

scholarly journals Import Liberalization of Intermediates and Environment: Empirical Evidence from Chinese Manufacturing

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 2579 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ling-Yun He ◽  
Liang Wang
Keyword(s):  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Intermediate Inputs ◽  
Interaction Terms ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Plant Level ◽  
Pollution Emissions ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Scale Composition ◽  
Level Lowering

This paper investigates how the import liberalization of intermediates affects firm-level pollution emissions. We divide the impact of freer import of intermediates on pollution emissions into induced scale, composition and technique effects and then develop interaction terms to examine these effects. Relying on a panel of plant-level data from China manufacturing sector for the period 2001 to 2007, we find freer import of intermediate inputs is conducive to pollution reductions at the plant level, lowering pollution via induced technique and composition effects and, in turn, increasing emission through induced scale effect. In summary, import liberalization of intermediate inputs can contribute to the better environmental performance of China manufacturing sector.

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