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on Efficiency and Productivity |
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Issue of 2019‒03‒04
twelve papers chosen by |
| By: | Fujii, Hidemichi; Managi, Shunsuke; Kawahara, Hiromitsu |
| Abstract: | This study analyzes productivity in the context of environmental regulations on the provision and dissemination of environmental information. Our study measures total factor productivity (TFP) by considering the emission of toxic chemical substances in the U.S. and Japan and the two countries’ corresponding policies. We apply the directional distance function to measure the Luenberger productivity indicator to estimate TFP. The data for U.S. and Japanese manufacturing firms include 386 firms over 1999 and 2007 and 466 firms over 2001 to 2008, respectively. This paper focuses on nine industries with highest pollution intensity: rubber and plastic, chemicals and allied products, paper and pulp, steel and non-ferrous metal, fabricated metal, industrial machinery, electric products, transportation equipment, and precision instruments. These nine sectors are categorized into two industry groups: the basic materials group and the processing and assembly group. The results show that productivity improved in all industrial sectors in the U.S. and Japan from 2001 to 2007. In particular, the electric product industry improved rapidly after 2002 for both countries. The enforcement of RoHS and the REACH directive in Europe might be one of the reasons for these increases. These stringent restrictions on toxic chemical substances give U.S. companies that export to the European market a strong incentive to treat their toxic chemical substances. |
| Keywords: | Environmentally Sensitive Productivity; Toxic Chemical Substances; Pollution Release and Transfer Register; Manufacturing Sector; United States, Japan |
| JEL: | L16 L65 O47 |
| Date: | 2019 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:92235&r=all |
| By: | Purdy, Rachel; Langemeier, Michael |
| Keywords: | Agricultural Finance, Farm Management, Production Economics, Productivity Analysis, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies |
| Date: | 2019–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:saea19:284276&r=all |
| By: | Kounetas, Konstantinos; Stergiou, Eirini |
| Abstract: | Assessment of industrial-level energy efficiency development is a critical research topic that has infiltrated in the global battle against climate change. A balanced panel of fourteen European industries from twenty-four countries for the period 1995-2011 is introduced into a metafrontier framework. Reflecting the divergent views on the importance of desirable and undesirable outcomes in the pursuit of energy efficiency, the proposed approach estimate industrial performance by prioritizing either economic or environmental criterion incorporating technological heterogeneity. It is found that small-scale economies exhibit persistent high energy efficiency scores. Regarding energy efficiency determinants, path dependence phenomena have a strong presence, climate characteristics occurs, while energy mix displays linear but also non-linear relationships. Finally, regardless of the method employed, there is a strong evidence of conditional and unconditional convergence. |
| Keywords: | European industries, Energy efficiency, Technology heterogeneity,Directional distance function, Energy mix, Path dependence, Convergence. |
| JEL: | D24 D29 Q40 Q49 |
| Date: | 2019–01–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:92314&r=all |
| By: | Minegishi, Kota; Jette-Nantel, Simon |
| Keywords: | Agribusiness, Production Economics, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Productivity Analysis |
| Date: | 2019–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:saea19:284298&r=all |
| By: | Auerbach, Paul (Kingston University London) |
| Abstract: | Widespread uneasiness has emerged concerning a perceived slowdown in productivity growth. The question posed here is whether our destiny is indeed tied to inexorable movements in productivity and innovation, whatever these things may be, or can we build a future contingent upon collective choices and guided by human needs and desires? |
| Keywords: | Artificial Intelligence; innovation; productivity; Schumpeter; technological change; total factor productivity. |
| JEL: | O10 O30 O33 O40 O47 |
| Date: | 2019–02–25 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ris:kngedp:2019_003&r=all |
| By: | Solis, Daniel; Agar, Juan; del Corral, Julio |
| Keywords: | Production Economics |
| Date: | 2019–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:saea19:284266&r=all |
| By: | Toshihiro Okubo (Faculty of Economics, Keio University); Eiichi Tomiura (Graduate School of Economics, Hitotsubashi University) |
| Abstract: | The international trade literature confirms that the average productivity of exporters is higher than that of non-exporters, while economic geography studies establish that urban firms tend to be more productive than rural ones. By introducing region-specific transportation costs in a Melitz-type heterogeneous firm trade model, the theory predicts that the minimum threshold productivity level for export is higher but that for survival by serving the local market is lower in the periphery region than in the core. Using Japanese plant-level panel data, we find evidence supporting the theoretical prediction that exporters in the peripheral regions, especially those distant from the core, have large productivity premiums. |
| Keywords: | Productivity, transportation costs |
| JEL: | F1 R12 L25 |
| Date: | 2019–01–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:keo:dpaper:2019-002&r=all |
| By: | ANDROUTSOU, LORENA; METAXAS, THEODORE |
| Abstract: | Under the Directive 2011/24/EU, medical tourism and cross-border health are interrelated terms regarding the freedom to move to get the most accessible medical treatment into EU Member State within the defined procedures for reimbursement. Little known empirically regarding the efficiency of the cross-border health/medical tourism industry. This study aims to measure its efficiency in Europe for the years 2010-2014, by using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Data obtained from OECD and the European Core Health Indicators (ECHI), which is collecting the data through Eurostat. Eurostat collects data on health care activities and provides data on hospital discharges, including the hospital discharges of non-residents and these include hospital discharges of in-patients and day care patients. The analysis uses “DEA.P, 2.1 for windows” by Coelli (1996). The results show that the Members States health systems were very efficient in handling non-residents in-patients, however when managing day cases/outpatients the efficiency scores dropped. The findings would have significant associations affecting intentions to revisit clinics and the destination country. In addition, will be useful to those seeking a better understanding of the cross-border health and medical tourism industry efficiency. Extending the findings of the European Commission report (2015c) by examining how well medical tourists are informed about the decision they are making, would be of perceived value. These are important indicators at European level by helping each Member State to measure its medical tourism services. |
| Keywords: | cross-border health, medical tourism, efficiency, DEA |
| JEL: | I11 Z10 |
| Date: | 2018 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:92461&r=all |
| By: | Mendez-Guerra, Carlos |
| Abstract: | This paper studies environmental efficiency convergence across the prefectures of Japan over the 1992-2008 period. Using a novel nonparametric density estimation clustering framework, two alternative indicators of environmental efficiency are contrasted: a conventional indicator, based on the ratio of gross regional product to CO2 emissions, and a more comprehensive indicator, based on the data envelopment analysis (DEA) model. Results show, on the one hand, a lack of intra-distributional mobility and potentially a unique convergence cluster when using the more conventional indicator. On the other hand, large backward mobility and at least two convergence clusters are identified when using the DEA-based indicator of environmental efficiency. The paper concludes arguing the importance of accounting for production inputs, as they appear to be driving the formation of regional convergence clusters in Japan. |
| Keywords: | environmental efficiency, convergence, nonparametric density, Japan |
| JEL: | O47 O53 R10 R11 |
| Date: | 2019–02–18 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:92245&r=all |
| By: | Matthew E. Kahn; Pei Li |
| Abstract: | The quality of governance depends on public sector worker productivity. We use micro data from China to document that judges are less productive on polluted days. Building on the insights of Alchian and Kessel (1962), we discuss the role of organization design and the incentives of public versus for profit organizations in designing a workplace that reduces the productivity costs of local disamenities. We find that the public sector productivity elasticities are larger than published estimates of the private sector productivity elasticities with respect to pollution. |
| JEL: | H11 Q53 |
| Date: | 2019–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:25594&r=all |
| By: | Asongu, Simplice; Odhiambo, Nicholas |
| Abstract: | There is a growing body of evidence that interest rate spreads in Africa are higher for big banks compared to small banks. One concern is that big banks might be using their market power to charge higher lending rates as they become larger, more efficient, and unchallenged. In contrast, several studies found that when bank size increases beyond certain thresholds, diseconomies of scale are introduced that lead to inefficiency. In that case, we also would expect to see widened interest margins. This study examines the connection between bank size and efficiency to understand whether that relationship is influenced by exploitation of market power or economies of scale. Using a panel of 162 African banks for 2001–2011, we analyzed the empirical data using instrumental variables and fixed effects regressions, with overlapping and non-overlapping thresholds for bank size. We found two key results. First, bank size increases bank interest rate margins with an inverted U-shaped nexus. Second, market power and economies of scale do not increase or decrease the interest rate margins significantly. The main policy implication is that interest rate margins cannot be elucidated by either market power or economies of scale. Other implications are discussed. |
| Keywords: | Sub-Saharan Africa; banks; lending rates; efficiency; Quiet Life Hypothesis; competition |
| JEL: | E42 E52 E58 G21 G28 |
| Date: | 2018–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:92347&r=all |
| By: | Florens, Jean-Pierre; Simar, Léopold; Van Keilegom, Ingrid |
| Keywords: | Characteristic function; cumulant function; flexible parametric family; frontier estimation; Laguerre polynomials |
| Date: | 2019–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:tse:wpaper:33355&r=all |