Future policy directions for doi moi in Vietnam

During the 1980s Vietnam experienced a radical process of industrial and service sector liberalization, known as doi moi. The process was initiated by the government as a means for managing the collapse in overseas financial support occasioned by the demise of its principal supporter, the former Soviet Union. In this paper we focus on the currency and state owned enterprise (SOE) aspects of doi moi. The paper has several aims. First, we examine the effectiveness of the currency policy introduced under doi moi through which the Vietnamese government has attempted to stabilize the VNDong with the overall aim of reversing the dollarization process and restoring confidence in the domestic currency. Second, we discuss possible capital markets instruments which may now be suitable for government financing, such as the suitability of commodity indexed bonds, a debt conversion program and establishment of a private development trust fund. Third, we consider the macroeconomic implications of Vietnam's accession to ASEAN. Lastly, we make a number of recommendations for future macroeconomic policy in Vietnam.     

Foreign Multinationals and Local Firms in Vietnam's Economic Transition*

This paper compares the economic performance of foreign multinational corporations (MNC) and local firms in Vietnam, distinguishing between two distinct types of local firms: state‐owned enterprises (SOE) and non‐SOE. Between the mid‐1990s and 2000, foreign MNC in Vietnam's economy grew very rapidly, but their growth has been much slower thereafter. Consistent with the theoretical suggestion that MNC possess relatively large amounts of firm‐specific assets related to production technology, marketing networks and management know‐how, these comparisons suggest that foreign MNC were generally larger and had higher labor productivity, capital intensity, wage levels, investment propensities and trade propensities than non‐MNC. On the other hand, foreign MNC tended to have relatively low capital productivity and wage shares of value added, while results regarding profitability were mixed. In general, these differentials tended to be relatively small between foreign MNC and SOE, and SOE tended to be larger than foreign MNC in terms of employment. Correspondingly, comparisons of foreign MNC with non‐MNC generally revealed more consistent differences, largely because the local private sector is still very underdeveloped in Vietnam.     

Long live China’s state-owned enterprises: deflating the myth of poor financial performance

China’s industrial state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are commonly perceived as performing poorly. This leads authors to conclude that SOE reform so far has been a failure, and to recommend all-out privatization. Industrial SOE profitability indeed declined drastically in the course of the reform period, and industrial SOEs are always less profitable than industrial non-SOEs. However, the gap between SOEs and non-SOEs can be explained by just two factors: SOEs face higher circulation tax rates than non-SOEs, and have a higher capital intensity. In as far as these are the result of government policies and historical factors discriminating against SOEs, privatization of SOEs may improve these enterprises’ profitability levels, but privatization is not a necessary condition. The decline in SOE profitability over time furthermore is well explained by economic transition factors; non-SOE profitability declined following a similar time pattern, and non-SOEs are no better suited to withstand shocks such as the 1989–1990 economic downturn.     

Flying Ducks? Girls’ Schooling in Rural Vietnam: A Revisit

In Vietnam, girls are colloquially referred to as 'flying ducks' as they are regarded as a loss to the family upon marriage. Using the Vietnam Living Standards Surveys of 1992–1993 and 1997–1998, the method of Doiron and Riddell (1994) is applied to decompose the probability gap of being in school to explore gender differences in children's education and changes over time. The unexplained component is found to account for most of the observed gender probability gap in each period. Over time, however, the gap has narrowed. The explained component (namely, household income and children's involvement in housework or work activities) contributes to the narrowing gap. Cutting the indirect cost of education for girls (forgone contribution in work and housework) is crucial in ensuring girls have the same education opportunities as boys do.     

The relationship between technical efficiency and industrial concentration: Evidence from the Indonesian food and beverages industry

This paper investigates the relationship between technical efficiency and industrial concentration in the Indonesian food and beverages sector. Firm-level data obtained from the Indonesian Bureau of Central Statistics (BPS) are used to estimate technical efficiency scores and calculate measures of industrial concentration. The results show that the food and beverages industry is characterized by high industrial concentration and firms in the industry are inefficient. The Granger-causality test suggests a one-way direction of causality, with industrial concentration having a negative impact on technical efficiency, at the sector level. This suggests that the quiet-life hypothesis, rather than the efficient-structure hypothesis, applies to the Indonesian food and beverages industry.     

我国玉米加工业技术效率的实证分析——以4个玉米主产省为例

文章运用数据包络分析法（DEA）对1998—2005年我国4个玉米主产省（吉林、辽宁、山东、河北）玉米加工业的技术效率及其分解进行了实证分析。结果表明,玉米加工业的综合技术效率是由纯技术效率和规模效率共同作用的结果;4个玉米主产省玉米加工业的平均技术效率水平较低,而且各子行业（淀粉及其制品业、饲料加工业、酒精制造业、白酒制造业）的技术效率值差距较大;但从1998—2005年技术效率的变化来看,玉米加工业的技术效率呈上升的趋势。     

突发事件影响下规上工业企业R&D投入产出溢出效应

2019年突发COVID-19疫情给规上工业企业R&D投入产出带来严重的影响，合理规划R&D投入产出，对规避风险具有重要理论指导意义。在分析COVID-19爆发前后规上工业企业 R&D投入产出情况的基础上，以规上工业企业R&D活动中新产品产出率、出口率、技术效率、有效技术效率为解释变量，企业R&D活动情况作为控制变量建立模型，运用改进的知识生产函数构建模型，采用SPSS26软件对模型进行回归分析，研究R&D投入产出溢出效应。研究表明，COVID-19疫情发生前后规上工业企业R&D新产品产出率和新产品出口率、技术效率和有效技术效率对溢出效应均产生了不同程度的影响；不同调节因素下表现出的显著性水平不同。其中，疫情发生后新产品出口率在5%水平下影响显著。     

安徽省分行业工业企业低碳投入产出效率评价

以2012年安徽省39个行业为研究对象,将碳排放量引入工业企业投入产出效率评价体系,运用DEA模型对安徽省分行业工业企业低碳投入产出效率进行实证分析。研究发现:安徽省分行业工业企业低碳投入产出效率水平总体较低;纯技术效率提升是提高各行业低碳投入产出效率的关键;轻工业低碳投入产出效率的提高对于整体综合效率水平的提高具有重大影响。为安徽省分行业工业企业低碳投入产出效率水平的提升提供了理论支撑。     

The impact of the liability–asset ratio on profitability in China's industrial state-owned enterprises

The liability–asset ratio of China's industrial state-owned enterprises (SOEs) has increased dramatically in the course of the economic reform period. Western observers point out the inherent dangers to enterprise solvency. Chinese policymakers view today's level as exceedingly detrimental to enterprise profitability and are introducing measures to reduce it. Yet the increase in the liability–asset ratio of industrial SOEs is the inevitable result of systemic changes; since the early 1990s, the liability–asset ratio has stabilized. The perceived negative impact of the current level of the liability–asset ratio on enterprise profitability does not hold up in regression analysis. It is true that low-profitability SOEs tend to have a high liability–asset ratio, perhaps due to government-ordained support through bank loans. However, once the endogeneity of the liability–asset ratio is controlled for, a high liability–asset ratio tends to imply a high level of profitability. This suggests that current industrial SOE reforms in China that focus on debt alleviation are misguided.     

中国工业企业研发创新效率评价与比较分析

采用2011-2015年间中国规模以上工业企业研发创新投入产出数据，在构建科学合理的研发创新效率评价体系的基础上，运用数据包络分析法对工业企业的研发创新水平从综合效率、技术效率和规模效率三个方面进行横向和纵向对比，并从优化效率的视角出发进一步展开投入产出指标的冗余值分析。研究表明，目前国内工业企业研发创新效率总体处于中等水平，有较大提升空间；企业研发创新存在明显的地域差异，地区发展不平衡现象突出。基于研究结论给出针对性建议。     

外商直接投资与中国技术效率增进——基于随机前沿生产模型的经验分析

本文首先运用了超越对数生产函数形式的随机前沿模型对中国各省市的技术效率进行了测算,然后在控制市场化程度、人力资本的情况下,检验了服务业FDI和制造业FDI对各省市技术效率的长短期效应,并分析了其区域间差异。本文发现:(1)在短期,服务业FDI会促进我国各省市技术效率水平的提高,而制造业FDI则具有显著的抑制作用;但从长期看,制造业FDI会产生明显的正向技术溢出效应,而服务业FDI则会抑制我国技术效率的提高。(2)两类FDI影响技术效率的长短期效应在不同地区和全国的情况并无差异,不过,东部地区的外资对技术效率的短期效应和长期累积效应都要比中西部地区明显一些。(3)人力资本存量的增加可以显著提高各省市技术效率。对外开放程度、金融市场化程度以及劳动力市场化程度的提高也会对各省市的技术效率产生积极影响。     

基于DEA模型的深圳市可持续发展能力评价

城市的发展需兼顾外在格局调整和内在机制协调,对城市生态效率的评价是考量区域可持续发展的重要途径之一。本文从系统论角度出发,通过城市资源、环境和经济三个子系统的相互作用影响,兼顾城市生态系统的整体性、关联性和时序性等特征,构建城市资源环境效率指标体系,采用DEA模型对深圳市进行资源输入、经济运行和环境影响的效率测量评价分析,得出深圳市具备可持续发展的基础和能力,利用自身发展优势调整产业结构,兼顾规模效益与技术有效性,是经济发展与资源环境可持续并行的关键。     

Reform of state‐owned enterprises and productivity growth in China

Using firm‐level data from a Chinese industrial survey covering 1999 to 2007, the paper analyses the impact of state‐owned enterprise (SOE) reforms on productivity growth in manufacturing. The results indicate that: (1) aggregate productivity of manufacturing increased rapidly, with an average annual growth rate of 10.6 per cent. Although the aggregate productivity of SOEs was lower than in other types of enterprises, their growth rate was the fastest. (2) The productivity growth due to SOE reform was mainly contributed by the improvements in resource allocation, rather than the growth of firm productivity. (3) The between‐firm effect and the impact of new firms contributed most to the total productivity growth, while the contribution from the exiting of firms was relatively small.     

Firm Efficiency in a Transitional Economy: Evidence from Vietnam

The paper examines efficiency performance of the non-state small and medium manufacturing industries in a transitional and developing economy. Using firm level data in Vietnam from 1996 and 2001, cross-sectional models are estimated using the stochastic frontier method. The results show a considerable variation in efficiency levels among firms and that a greater use of family labor and a metropolitan location are associated with improvement in technical efficiency. The results indicate few benefits from direct government financial and non-financial assistance to businesses.     

Tax Incidence in Vietnam*

This paper examines the incidence of taxation in Vietnam, using data from the Living Standards Survey of 1997–1998 and an input–output matrix for 1997. The tax system in 1998 was slightly progressive, taking the equivalent of 7.8percent of spending for households in the lowest, and 10.3percent from households in the highest expenditure quintile. The replacement of the turnover tax by a value‐added tax in January 1999 made the system marginally more progressive, and the falling importance of taxes on trade has had a negligible effect on the overall incidence of the tax system. The tax system is progressive overall because business income taxes fall mainly on better‐off households; and low‐income households rely heavily on home consumption, which is untaxed. Against this, agricultural taxes and fees are highly regressive. The recent phasing out of the agricultural land use tax is making the tax system more progressive; however, efforts since 2004 to limit price increases for motor fuels have effectively provided a relatively greater subsidy to rich than to poor households.     

上海工业六大重点行业效率研究——基于DEA和Malmquist指数法的实证分析

对上海工业六大重点行业投入产出效率进行了探讨,使用DEA和Malmquist指数法,从静态和动态两个角度切入,研究了投入产出效率和全要素生产率。研究发现,静态来看,上海工业行业规模效率不高,技术创新能力缺失;动态来看,全要素生产率的提高归因于技术进步,而技术效率在下降,规模效率不足是主要影响因素。研究认为,提高上海工业效率的科学路径可以从“优化投入资源配置,优化产业结构,加强技术创新,提高全要素生产率”等几个方面展开。     

广西与越南旅游合作项目产业链的构建与优化

自1994年,广越签署旅游合作协议以来,两地旅游合作日益紧密,但旅游合作项目产业链的规模、效益还有待提升。本文分析了广越旅游合作项目产业链的现状,提出了旅游合作项目产业链的三维构架和形成发展机制,并对其发展提出了一些战略思考和对策。     

Input Rigidities and Performance of Vietnamese Universities

Universities in Vietnam are inclined to have an inefficient mix of input resources because of rigidities restricting the adoption of advanced teaching technology. There has been a deferral of the adoption of new teaching technologies to meet the rest of the world's higher education standards. Using an input‐orientated data envelopment analysis (DEA) method, technical, scale and mix efficiency indicators are estimated for 112 Vietnamese universities over the period 2011–2013 using the Färe–Primont index. The results indicate that the technical, scale and mix efficiency indicators are 0.784, 0.866 and 0.829, respectively. Using the fractional regression model, it is found that location, age, ownership and financial capacity have significant influences on the mix efficiency indicators of universities.     

国有跨国经营公司办公室思想政治工作研究

随着国有企业“走出去”战略的实施,传统的国有企业通过海外并购及重组整合,转变成跨国经营公司,这对于办公室各项工作提出了更高的要求。办公室是一个企业对外开放的基本平台,是展示企业形象的窗口,只有在以提高办公室思想政治工作为基础的前提下,才能不断提高工作质量和工作效率,适应跨国经营以及国企改革对于办公室工作提出的新目标。     

基于时变随机前沿生产函数的上海工业增长因素分析

本文应用时变随机前沿生产函数和行业面板数据．测算出1995-2004年上海工业32个行业的动态劳动、资本产出弹性，技术进步率和技术效率变化率；在此基础上进一步得到各因素对工业产值增长的贡献度。主要结论是：（1）上海工业增长主要依赖资本投入的高速增长和加速的技术进步率；（2）资本增长比技术进步对上海工业产值的增长有更大的贡献度，而要实现工业可持续增长，必须依靠更快的技术进步；（3）上海工业总体的技术效率变化率向下变化，说明市场自由竞争的加剧导致了不同行业或企业的技术效率差距在拉大．这有利于行业资源优化配置和上海工业可持续发展。