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on Efficiency and Productivity |
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Issue of 2007‒12‒15
ten papers chosen by |
| By: | Baldwin, John R.; Gellatly, Guy |
| Abstract: | This paper summarizes the results of several research studies conducted by the Micro-economic Analysis Division of Statistics Canada that investigate the impact of advanced technology use on business performance. These studies combine establishment-level survey data on advanced technology practices with longitudinal data that measure changes in relative performance. Together, these studies provide strong evidence that technology strategies have considerable bearing on competitive outcomes after other correlates of plant performance are taken into account. Advanced communications technologies warrant special emphasis, as the use of these technologies has been shown to be closely associated with changes in relative productivity. |
| Keywords: | Science and technology, Business performance and ownership, Manufacturing, |
| Date: | 2007–12–05 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:stc:stcp1e:2007016e&r=eff |
| By: | Kox, Henk L.M.; Leeuwen, George van; Wiel, Henry van der |
| Abstract: | Using data from 11 EU countries, the paper investigates the impact of scale economies on labour productivity in European business services. Moreover, it analyses whether the incidence of scale sub-optimality is related to characteristics of the market or to national regulation characteristics. The econometric analysis is based on a production function model in combination with a distance-to-the-frontier model. We find evidence for the existence of increasing returns to scale in business services firms. A result is that throughout the EU, business-services firms with less than 20 employed persons have a significantly lower level of labour productivity than the rest of the business-services industry. Two factors explain the scale inefficiencies. The first is the level of policy-caused firm-entry costs; higher start-up costs for new firms go along with more scale inefficiency. Secondly, business-services markets tend to be segmented by firm size: firms tend to compete predominantly with firms in their own size segment of the markets. Scale-related inefficiencies are to some extent compensated by more competition within a firm's own size segment. If a firm operates in a more “crowded” segment this has a significant and positive impact on its labour productivity. We derive some policy implications from our findings. |
| Keywords: | EU; business services; scale efficiency; labour productivity; regulation; entry costs |
| JEL: | L5 L11 D2 L8 |
| Date: | 2007–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:6137&r=eff |
| By: | The International Study Group on Exports and Productivity |
| Abstract: | We use comparable micro level panel data for 14 countries and a set of identically specified empirical models to investigate the relationship between exports and productivity. Our overall results are in line with the big picture that is by now familiar from the literature: Exporters are more productive than non-exporters when observed and unobserved heterogeneity are controlled for, and these exporter productivity premia tend to increase with the share of exports in total sales; there is strong evidence in favour of self-selection of more productive firms into export markets, but nearly no evidence in favour of the learning-by-exporting hypothesis. We document that the exporter premia differ considerably across countries in identically specified empirical models. In a meta-analysis of our results we find that countries that are more open and have more effective government report higher productivity premia. However, the level of development per se does not appear to be an explanation for the observed cross-country differences. |
| Keywords: | Exports, productivity, micro data, international comparison |
| JEL: | F14 D21 |
| Date: | 2007 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:lic:licosd:19207&r=eff |
| By: | Axel Dreher (ETH Zurich, KOF Swiss Economic Institute and and CESifo,Germany); Pierre-Guillaume Méon (DULBEA, Université libre de Bruxelles, Brussels); Friedrich Schneider (Department of Economics, Austria.) |
| Abstract: | This paper assesses the relationship between institutions, output, and productivity, when official output is corrected for the size of the shadow economy. Our results confirm the usual positive impact of institutional quality on official output and total factor productivity, and its negative impact on the size of the underground economy. However, once output is corrected for the shadow economy, the relationship between institutions and output becomes weaker. The impact of institutions on total (“corrected”) factor productivity even becomes insignificant. Differences in corrected output must then be attributed to differences in factor endowments. These results survive several tests for robustness. |
| Keywords: | shadow economy, income, aggregate productivity, development accounting |
| JEL: | O11 O17 O47 O5 |
| Date: | 2007–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dul:wpaper:07-22rs&r=eff |
| By: | Pedro Cavalcanti Ferreira; Alberto Trejosy |
| Date: | 2007 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:anp:en2007:055&r=eff |
| By: | Davide Castellani (Università di Perugia); Francesco Serti (Scuola Superiore S. Anna, Pisa); Chiara Tomasi (Scuola Superiore S. Anna, Pisa & Università di Urbino); Antonello zanfei (Istituto di Scienze Economiche, Università degli Studi di Urbino "Carlo Bo") |
| Abstract: | We use comparable micro level panel data for 14 countries and a set of identically specified empirical models to investigate the relationship between exports and productivity. Our overall results are in line with the big picture that is by now familiar from the literature: exporters are more productive than non-exporters when observed and unobserved heterogeneity are controlled for, and these exporter productivity premia tend to increase with the share of exports in total sales; there is strong evidence in favour of self-selection of more productive firms into export markets, but nearly no evidence in favour of the learning-by-exporting hypothesis. We document that the exporter premia differ considerably across countries in identically specified empirical models. In a meta-analysis of our results we find that countries that are more open and have more effective government report higher productivity premia. However, the level of development per se does not appear to be an explanation for the observed cross-country differences. |
| Keywords: | Exports, productivity, micro data, international comparison. |
| JEL: | F14 D21 |
| Date: | 2007–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:urb:wpaper:07_14&r=eff |
| By: | Aude Hubrecht-Deville (Université de Bourgogne); Hervé Leleu (CNRS-LEM, Catholic University of Lille) |
| Abstract: | (VF)Dans ce papier, nous proposons deux nouveaux indicateurs pour mesurer la performance opérationnelle et la performance financière des réseaux d’agences bancaires. Nous développons une approche alternative aux mesures classiques de productivité pour prendre en compte des effets de taille, d’environnement et de structure dans la comparaison des agences entre elles. Nous recourons à une approche non paramétrique d’estimation d’une frontière de production pour construire les indicateurs dans un cadre homogène. Une application empirique est menée sur un échantillon de 1423 agences bancaires réparties au sein de 15 banques régionales. Nos résultats indiquent que la performance opérationnelle n’est que faiblement liée à la performance financière et que les deux types d’indicateurs apparaissent donc davantage complémentaires que substituables pour établir un diagnostic global de performance.(VA)In this paper, we introduce two new indicators of the operational and the financial performance of bank branches networks. We develop an alternative approach to the traditional productivity measures to take into account size, environmental and structural effects in the benchmark process. We use a nonparametric production frontier to estimate the efficiency indices within a unified framework. We apply our analysis to a sample of 1423 bank branches belonging to 15 regional banks. Our results show that the operational and financial performances are weakly related to each other. Therefore, the two types of indicators appear to be more complementary than substitute. |
| Keywords: | réseaux de distribution;banque;performance financière;performance opérationnelle;retail networks;bank; financial performance;operational performance. |
| JEL: | G21 M19 |
| Date: | 2007–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dij:wpfarg:1071106&r=eff |
| By: | Malmberg, Claes |
| Abstract: | The relation between innovative output from the R&D process and total factor productivity (TFP) in the Swedish pharmaceutical industry has been investigated. The focus has been on the 1960s when the institutional conditions for innovation changed drastically in the pharmaceutical industry through new and stricter regulation. The short term effect of the new regulation was a shift towards quality products. Patenting increased and there were an increasing number of economically successful drugs based on new substances (NCEs). This had a positive impact on TFP growth. |
| JEL: | O31 O32 O33 O34 O38 N5 O47 R58 |
| Date: | 2007 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cil:wpaper:3&r=eff |
| By: | Luis Garicano; Paul Heaton |
| Abstract: | We examine how information technology (IT) contributes to organizational change, labordemand, and improved productivity in the public sector using a new panel data set of policedepartments covering 1987-2003. While IT adoption is associated with increasedadministrative and organizational complexity and use of more highly educated officers, ITitself does not appear to enhance crimefighting effectiveness. These results are robust tovarious methods for controlling for agency-level characteristics and the endogeneity of ITuse. IT investments do, however, appear to improve police productivity when complementedwith particular management practices-in this case, those associated with the Compstatprogram. |
| Keywords: | information technology, management practices, skills, productivity, police |
| JEL: | L23 M5 O33 K42 |
| Date: | 2007–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cep:cepdps:dp0826&r=eff |
| By: | Gantumur, Tseveen (European University Viadrina); Stephan, Andreas (JIBS and CESIS) |
| Abstract: | The telecommunications in the 1990s witnessed an enormous worldwide round of Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A). This paper examines the innovation determinants of M&A activity and the consequences of M&A transactions on the technological potential and the innovation performance. We examine the telecommunications equipment industry over the period 1988-2002 using a newly constructed data set with firm-level data describing M&A and innovation activity as well as financial characteristics. Based on a matching propensity score procedure, the study provides evidence that M&A realize significantly positive changes to the firm’s postmerger innovation performance. |
| Keywords: | Mergers & Acquisitions; Innovation Performance; Telecommunications Equipment Industry |
| JEL: | L10 L63 O30 |
| Date: | 2007–12–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:cesisp:0111&r=eff |