The impact of military technology transfer on economic growth: international evidence

The purpose of this article is to measure the impact of military technology transfer on economic growth for 67 selected countries during the period 2000 to 2005 through the application of the Malmquist productivity index, which is broken down into efficiency change and technical change. Our main findings are as follows. First, technology diffusion is all-pervading in half of the sampled countries due to pure efficiency and scale efficiency changes. Second, a higher-income level and an excess of arms imports lead to innovative activities. Third, middle-income countries have higher efficiency and pure efficiency changes; these contribute to higher total productivity change. Finally, after separating the impact of capital investment from that of arms imports, the diffusion of military technology has a more positive and substantial impact on economic growth, thereby revealing the presence of externalities between countries.     

环境管制与工业生产率增长：东部地区的实证研究

本文运用曼奎斯特—卢恩伯格生产率指数,测度了2000-2007年东部工业在考虑SO2和不考虑SO2排放情况下的效率、生产率增长及其成份的增长率,并且估计出了环境管制给企业带来的成本。结果发现：上海和广东处于生产前沿;考虑SO2排放后,生产率增长率下降;天津的生产率增长、技术效率增长率和技术进步率都最高,北京环境污染管制的成本最高;FD I投入、国有企业比重、资本劳动比、废气治理投资和环境管制成本对生产率增长都有显著影响。     

Technological Progress versus Efficiency Gain in Manufacturing Sectors

This study decomposes the nonparametric Malmquist productivity index for 36 Korean manufacturing sectors into two components: technological change and technical efficiency change. The empirical results show that while each sector displays quite different growth patterns, productivity growth is dominated by technological change. Technological change is found to have a negative correlation with efficiency change. Secondary regression performed in this study identifies the relationship between productivity growth measures and several key policy variables, such as effective protection rate, market concentration, and so forth. The productivity estimates are compared with those of the conventional Törnqvist productivity index.     

GLOBAL TRANSFER OF ARMS TECHNOLOGY AND ITS IMPACT ON ECONOMIC GROWTH

The Malmquist index is used to measure the impact of military technology transfer on economic growth. This index can be decomposed into two components: efficiency change and technical change. Given the aggregate production function, the effect of technology diffusion on growth is measured by efficiency change. The shift in aggregate production function due to innovative activities is measured by technical change. An analysis of 16 American and European countries over the period 1978-1994 reveals that the total impact of arms trade on growth, measured in terms of the Malmquist index, varies across countries. Contrary to common belief the findings of this study do not suggest that industrial countries have more efficient utilization offoreign military technology than do developing countries. The evidence also shows that the difference in total impact among countries is primarily due to the differences in efficiency change, not technical change.     

Environmentally sensitive productivity growth: A global analysis using Malmquist–Luenberger index

We examine conventional and environmentally sensitive total factor productivity (TFP) in 41 developed and developing countries over the period of 1971 to 1992. Due to the non-availability of reliable input and CO₂ emissions price data, the study uses directional distance function to derive Malmquist–Luenberger (ML) productivity index. The index allows us to decompose the TFP into measures of technical and efficiency changes. DEA is used to compute the directional distance functions. We find that TFP index value is not different when we account for the CO₂ emissions relative to the situation when they are freely disposable. But for the components of TFP change: technical and efficiency changes, the null hypothesis of whether the indexes are the same under two different scenarios cannot be accepted. Issues of catch-up and convergence, or in some cases possible divergence, in productivity are examined within a global framework. The paper also studies the impact of openness on conventional and environmentally sensitive measures of productivity.     

Return to Dollar, Generalized Distance Function and the Fisher Productivity Index

Exploring the duality between a return to dollar definition of profit and the generalized distance function we establish the relationship between the Laspeyres, Paasche and Fisher productivity indexes and their alternative Malmquist indexes counterparts. By proceeding this way, we propose a consistent decomposition of these productivity indexes into two mutually exclusive components. A technical component represented by the Malmquist index and an economical component which can be identified with the contribution that allocative criteria make to productivity change. With regard to the Fisher index, we indicate how researchers can further decompose the Malmquist technical component rendering explicit the sources of productivity change. We also show how the proposed model can be implemented by means of Data Envelopment Analysis techniques, and illustrate the empirical process with an example data set.     

ChinHow R&D Investments Influence TFP Growth: Evidence from China’s Large and Medium- Sized Industrial Enterprises

This paper investigates the potential channels through which R&D may influence TFP growth using industry-level panel data of China’s large and medium-sized industrial enterprises over the period of 2000–2007. Comparing with existing literature, we provide a closer look of the relationship between R&D and TFP growth by decomposing TFP growth into efficiency change and technical change components using Malmquist productivity index and distinguishing between upstream R&D spillovers and downstream R&D spillovers. We find TFP grow slightly during 2000–2007, and R&D investment indeed serves as an engine of productivity growth just as endogenous growth theories argued, which is largely because R&D accelerates technical progress even it also results in enlarging technical inefficiency. However, we find a robust negative effect of downstream R&D spillovers on TFP growth, the effects of upstream is positive but not statistically significant. In addition, we do not find the positive effects of human capital on TFP as endogenous growth theories indicated, but find human capital severs as “assimilation device” for R&D spillovers both in promoting TFP growth and increasing technical efficiency even the effects on technical progress is adverse.     

Biased Technical Change and the Malmquist Productivity Index

The Malmquist productivity index has many attractive features. One is that it can be epxressed as the product of a technical efficiency change index and a technical change index. In this paper we express the technical change index as the product of a magnitude index and a bias index. We then express the bias index as the product of an output bias index and an input bias index, and we state conditions under which each bias index makes no contribution to productivity change.     

Policy reform and productivity change in Chinese agriculture: A distance function approach

Agricultural policy reform has been an important source of change in the Chinese agricultural sector. The reforms led to productivity growth and helped China to pursue its self-sufficiency goal especially in the grain sector. In order to analyze whether observable productivity growth stems from technologically induced components or from the market induced parts, a multi-input–multi-output model is derived by using an econometric distance function framework. A decomposition allows to distinguish allocative effects, scale effects, technological change, and technical efficiency change. Data on farms in Zhejiang from 1986 to 2000 are used to analyze the impact of policy reform.     

How R&;D investments influence TFP growth: Evidence from China’s large and medium-sized industrial enterprises

This paper investigates the potential channels through which R&D may influence TFP growth using industry-level panel data of China’s large and medium-sized industrial enterprises over the period of 2000–2007. Comparing with existing literature, we provide a closer look of the relationship between R&D and TFP growth by decomposing TFP growth into efficiency change and technical change components using Malmquist productivity index and distinguishing between upstream R&D spillovers and downstream R&D spillovers. We find TFP grow slightly during 2000–2007, and R&D investment indeed serves as an engine of productivity growth just as endogenous growth theories argued, which is largely because R&D accelerates technical progress even it also results in enlarging technical inefficiency. However, we find a robust negative effect of downstream R&D spillovers on TFP growth, the effects of upstream is positive but not statistically significant. In addition, we do not find the positive effects of human capital on TFP as endogenous growth theories indicated, but find human capital severs as “assimilation device” for R&D spillovers both in promoting TFP growth and increasing technical efficiency even the effects on technical progress is adverse.     

Productivity Growth and its Components in Chinese Agriculture after Reforms

This study uses nonparametric Malmquist procedures to investigate the temporal and spatial nature of productivity growth and its components in Chinese agriculture over the period 1980–1995. The results of this study indicate that total factor productivity grew at 2.4% annually with technical change augmenting the growth by 3.8% while efficiency change reduced productivity growth by 1.3%. For all provinces, 288 out of a total of 442 cases experienced productivity growth while the rest showed productivity regression during this post-reform period. Coexistence of improvement in technical change and retardation in efficiency change indicates the lack of success in diffusing the existing agricultural technology. Continuing innovation and efficiency improvement through capital investment, modern input use, and greater competitive market pressures are important for augmenting productivity growth in Chinese agriculture.     

Efficiency change,technological change and capital accumulation in Italian regions: a sectoral study

This paper examines the sources of labour productivity in the Italian regions during the period 1980–2004. Five economic sectors are investigated using data envelopment analysis (DEA) and taking into account productive specialisation and sector inefficiencies. Labour productivity change is decomposed into five components by means of Malmquist productivity indices: intra-sector efficiency change, composition efficiency change, input-biased technical change, magnitude component technical change and capital accumulation. Using bootstrap procedure, the components of labour productivity changes are statistically tested. Efficiency analysis shows that productive specialisation is not a source of inefficiency and efficiency gains can be obtained by sector-specific policies. Thus, it is possible to obtain improvements in efficiency in each sector of activity rather than reallocating resources among sectors. The results of the decomposition by sectors reveal heterogeneous sources of growth. The total economy has shown evidence of non-neutral technical change and, it has been found that agriculture, industry and construction experienced capital using technical change. The analysis of the decomposition of the labour productivity growth is complemented by an analysis of β-convergence.     

环境规制竞争对经济增长效率的影响:基于省级面板数据分析

利用1992-2008年中国31个省级面板数据,检验了环境规制竞争对生产率增长及其构成的影响。结果发现,SO2减排对生产率增长及其构成有正向影响,说明SO2的减排竞争将会促进经济增长效率的提高。相反,工业COD减排对生产率增长及其构成存在不利的作用。这种不利影响不是由省际间环境规制竞争引起,而是由废水治理策略不当造成的。这些研究结果似乎表明,环境规制竞争并非是发展地方经济的"良策"。     

总需求、国际贸易与我国省际生产率变化——基于省际面板数据的研究

全要素生产率的提高是促进经济持续增长的重要原因,对生产率的研究,主要是从供给方面展开的,本文试图从需求角度研究全要素生产率变动的原因。理论上看,总需求通过影响技术创新、技术选择、规模经济效益和要素的使用效率等途径引起生产率的变化,国际贸易则通过促进分工深化、产生技术溢出等促进生产率的提高。然后,本文采用数据包络分析方法测算了中国省际全要素生产率变化,并将其分解为技术效率的变化和技术进步。结果发现中国改革开放以来全要素生产率增长主要是技术进步的结果,技术效率的作用很小。在测算和分解的基础上,利用省际面板数据,就总需求和国际贸易对生产率增长的影响作了实证分析,发现最终消费和资本形成对技术进步和全要素生产率的提高作用显著,出口对生产率增长的作用不显著,进口显著地促进了省际全要素生产率增长和技术进步。     

金融发展与全要素生产率增长* ——基于中国省际面板数据的实证分析

本文以2000-2012年中国省际平衡面板数据为样本,从金融规模发展和金融效率发展两个维度衡量金融发展水平,实证检验金融发展与全要素生产率增长的联系以及中间渠道。研究结果发现,2000-2012年中国全要素生产率出现正增长且主要是由技术进步推动的;无论是从金融规模发展角度还是从金融效率发展角度去分析,都证实了金融发展显著地促进了全要素生产率的增长,金融效率发展的全要素生产率增长效应显著地高于金融发展规模的全要素生产率增长效应,且金融发展促进全要素生产率增长的中间渠道是技术进步效应而非技术效率增长效应;通过引入衡量金融发展缺陷程度指标（民间金融发展规模）,证实了中国金融发展体系效率低下。民间金融发展具有TFP增长效应,且民间金融发展TFP增长效应要显著地大于正规金融发展的TFP增长效应。     

Productivity Trends in Australian and New Zealand Manufacturing

The purpose of this article is to study relative trends in total factor productivity (TFP) between the Australian and New Zealand manufacturing sectors from 1986 to 1996. Since 1984 both economies have undergone major structural changes with varying degrees of speed and intensity. We use the Malmquist index to measure TFP growth and decompose it into an efficiency change and a technical change component. This decomposition provides extra insight on assessing relative productivity trends during a period of economic reform. The results indicate the Australian manufacturing sector exhibits better rates of individual factor productivity performance while multifactor productivity is estimated to be higher in New Zealand manufacturing. TFP growth in New Zealand is driven by technical rather than efficiency change. In fact, the New Zealand manufacturing average rate of efficiency change is estimated to be negative over the sample period.     

河北省服务业生产率变动的实证分析

使用分行业面板数据,采用非参数Malmquist指数方法对1993—2008年河北省服务业生产率的变动情况进行分析发现:河北省服务业生产率增长率为4.6%,且增长的主要推动力并不稳定,在过去15年间由技术变化转变到技术效率,又回到技术变化。为此,河北省亟待提升服务业的技术效率尤其是纯技术效率。     

Productivity growth and environmental regulations - accounting for undesirable outputs: Analysis of China's thirty provincial regions using the Malmquist-Luenberger index

This paper employs the Malmquist-Luenberger (ML) productivity index to evaluate China's growth in total factor productivity (TFP), incorporating undesirable outputs, during the period from 1989 to 2008. The ML productivity index and its components (technical and efficiency changes) are derived from the directional distance function which gives credit for an increase in good outputs and for reductions in undesirable outputs. The average annual ML productivity growth, accounting for undesirable outputs, is 2.46%, whereas the value of the traditional Malmquist productivity index is 4.84%, showing that the true TFP growth in China is overestimated if undesirable outputs are ignored. We explore the strictness in enforcing environmental regulations and its impact on improvements in ML productivity. The results show that, the enforcement of environmental regulations in China is, in general, far below the levels achieved in the best performing regions, and that the more stringent enforcement of environmental regulations would help to improve ML productivity growth in China.     

Reference technology sets,Free Disposal Hulls and productivity decompositions

Diewert and Fox (2013) proposed decompositions of a Malmquist-type productivity index into explanatory factors, with a focus on extracting technical progress, technical efficiency change and returns to scale components. A major problem with their decompositions is that it may be difficult to determine the appropriate reference technologies. Using relatively unrestrictive regularity conditions, the paper develops a data envelopment type approach for decomposing productivity growth for a panel of production units into explanatory factors based on the Free Disposal Hull methods pioneered by Tulkens and his co-authors.     

低碳约束下中国全要素生产率的时空演变——基于Sequential Malmquist-Luenberger生产率指数分解方法

在全要素框架下运用基于连续前沿的Malmquist-Luenberger生产率增长指数方法,估算了1987—2009年中国28个省(自治区、直辖市)的低碳全要素生产率、技术进步和效率改善,对中国低碳全要素生产率的总体发展、区域差异进行实证分析。然后,利用核密度估计,对累积相对低碳全要素生产率增长、累积相对技术进步和累积相对效率改善做分布动态演进分析。结果表明:考察期内中国整体的低碳全要素生产率趋于上升,但上升幅度逐渐减小;东、中、西三大区域的低碳全要素生产率存在显著差异,呈东高西低的增长格局;东、中部地区的低碳全要素生产率提升是技术进步和效率改善共同推进的结果;西部地区的低碳全要素生产率提升仅靠技术进步驱动,效率改善存在退步迹象;省际间的低碳全要素生产率呈一定程度的"俱乐部收敛"特征,技术进步有明显的"追赶效应"。