Information technology and its changing roles to economic growth and productivity in Australia

In this paper we describe our investigation of the role of investment in information technology (IT) on economic output and productivity in Australia over a period of about four decades. The framework used in this paper is the aggregate production function, where IT capital is considered as a separate input of production along with non-IT capital and labour. The empirical results from the study indicate the evidence of robust technical progress in the Australian economy in the 1990s. IT capital had a significant impact on output, labour productivity and technical progress in the 1990s. In recent years, however, the contribution of IT capital on output and labour productivity has slowed down. Regaining the IT capital productivity therefore remains as a key challenge for Australia, especially in the context of greater IT investment in the future.     

Analyzing the relationships between information technology, inputs substitution and national characteristics based on CES stochastic frontier production models

This research examines four interrelated issues at the country level: the value of information technology (IT), inputs substitution and complement, the complementarity phenomenon created by IT and national characteristics, and the productivity paradox, jointly and critically from a global perspective, using the so-called productive efficiency as the performance measure. To that end, we develop the three-factor constant elasticity of substitution (CES) stochastic production frontier model and apply it to a set of panel data from 15 countries over the period 1993–2003, along with the traditional two-factor CES models, within the one- and two-equation frameworks. In the two-equation setting, six national characteristics are selected as the contributing factors of the productive efficiency. The findings include: (i) the value of IT as measured by the productive efficiency is duly recognized: (ii) the productivity paradox is found to be absent from the production process in a majority of developed and developing countries considered, rejecting the existing argument that the paradox exists only in developing economies but does not exist in developed countries; however, the developed countries have used IT capital in their production systems more productively efficiently than the developing nations; (iii) traditional capital (non-IT capital), traditional labor, and IT capital are not pairwise substitutable, contrary to the notion that they are pairwise substitutable at the firm level; (iv) constant returns to scale, as commonly assumed, are not supported by the data; (v) different national characteristics affect a country's output (represented by gross domestic product or GDP) and its productive efficiency differently; and (vi) the complementarity phenomenon is observed in most of the countries (developed and developing) under study.     

信息技术与上海全要素生产率关系研究

总结回顾了信息技术与生产率相关的研究,估算上海市资本存量并应用参数估计方法估算上海的劳动力和资产产出弹性,用劳动者报酬进行核实;根据估算的劳动力和资产产出弹性,使用增长核算方法计算出上海全要素生产率;在此基础,建立线性回归模型,分析信息技术与上海全要素生产率的关系,对结果进行分析并提出政策建议。     

信息技术企业与风险资本的空间共生研究

信息技术企业与风险资本的空间共存至关重要。课题以1994～2014年获得风险资本融资的IT企业为样本,运用空间滞后模型,研究距离IT企业一定空间范围内风险投资机构数量、同行数量对IT企业风险资本融资金额的影响。研究发现,IT企业周围100公里以内、100～200公里、200～300公里、300～400公里范围内的风险投资机构数量均正向影响其融资金额,边际效应最大的是200～300公里范围,最小的是300～400公里范围。IT企业周围100～200公里以内和200～300公里范围内的同行数量正向影响其融资额,100公里以内和300～400公里范围内的同行数量则反向影响其风险资本融资额,尤其是100公里范围内同行的增加使其风险资本融资额大幅减少。研究结论为政府支持本地风险投资的发展提供了证据,同时也为IT企业的选址有借鉴意义。     

信息产业与中国经济增长的实证分析

信息产业对经济增长的贡献不断上升,对优化产业结构和平抑物价总水平的上涨都起到了重要的作用,已成为经济发展的主导产业部门。信息产业较高的全要素生产率增长率,使得中国技术进步的变化越来越依赖信息技术的创新和应用。在当前全球经济危机的背景下,信息技术产业依然是我国经济增长的重要源泉。     

Do R&D and ICT affect total factor productivity growth differently?

We analyze the effect of ICT and R&D on total factor productivity (TFP) growth across different industries in Sweden. R&D alone is significantly associated with contemporaneous TFP growth, thus exhibiting indirect effects. Although there is no significant short-run association between ICT and TFP, we find a positive association with a lag of seven to eight years. Thus, R&D affect TFP much faster than ICT-investments. We also divide ICT capital into hardware and software capital. To our knowledge, this distinction has not been made in any previous study analyzing TFP at the industry level. The results show that lagged hardware capital services growth is significantly associated with TFP growth. Hence, investments complementary to hardware are needed to reap the long-run TFP effects from reorganizing production.     

新常态下中国经济增长潜力研究

中国过去30多年的高速增长属于斯密式增长,未来这种不可持续的增长方式会逐渐被熊彼特式或奥尔森式替代。中国在新常态背景下,经济增长速度放缓。根据中国经济增长在1978～2013年间呈现的周期性规律,本轮经济低迷期会持续到2019年左右。本文利用CD函数和Lucas人力资本增长模型实证分析出1978～2013年固定资本存量和人力资本存量对中国经济增长的贡献率分别为0.68和0.32,在此基础上计算出各年扣除人力资本和固定资本存量的全要素生产率增长率。结合发达国家经济新常态的特征,预测出“十三五”期间,中国经济增长速度在5.48%～9.12%之间。     

Information Technology, US Union Organizing and Union Effectiveness

This paper examines the effects of information technology (IT) on organizing and union effectiveness in US national unions. Original survey data and data from government and independent sources are combined to model outcomes including membership growth, success in representation elections, and union leaders' assessments of effectiveness as a product of environmental and organizational characteristics. The results suggest that the practical impact of IT use on organizing outcomes can be quite important. Evidence regarding the impact of IT on overall effectiveness (i.e. organizational or union effectiveness) is more mixed.     

我国地区全要素生产率与人力资本构成

考虑到人力资本组成部分的异质性,本文研究了全要素生产率(TFP)与人力资本构成的关系,并运用Dynamic Panel Data一阶差分GMM估计方法对1982—2004年我国28个省区市的面板数据进行了实证检验。实证结果表明,只有接受过高等教育的人力资本部分对TFP才有显著的促进作用。把人力资本分解为不同的组成部分有助于深化我们对TFP和人力资本的理解,还可以使我们对现有文献中人力资本与产出的一些争议提供解释。     

Exploring the relationship between farm size and productivity: Evidence from the Australian grains industry

The effect of farm size on productivity remains to be one of the longest standing debates in the agricultural development literature. In this paper, we use farm level data for the Australian grains industry from 1989 to 2004 to investigate the relationship between farm size and total factor productivity and its potential determinants. We show that a positive farm-size productivity relationship could be linked to farmer capital choice. In particular, the productivity advantage of larger farms is likely to diminish as farms use contract services to replace self–owned capital, suggesting that the hire of capital services (hereafter ‘capital outsourcing’) may lift the productivity level of small farms compared to their larger counterparts.     

美国犹他州跨越式发展对我国新疆经济发展的启示

20世纪90年代以来,美国犹他州经济成功实现跨越式发展,在21世纪头10年表现仍然引人瞩目。文章概述了犹他州在新世纪的经济表现、经济持续高速发展的原因以及对新疆实现跨越式发展的启示。认为,高科技产业的壮大尤其是信息技术的发展使犹他州形成良性的商业发展环境,人力资本优势则提供了大量企业聚集犹他的基础,而政府大力发展基础设施也是其经济跨越的基本保证。     

供给侧改革中的人力资本结构优化研究

本文用受教育水平的差异来表示人力资本的结构。利用2004～2014年中国省级区域的数据,依次对每一年影响经济增长的人力资本和物质资本数据进行逐步回归。结果表明,教育水平不同的人力资本对经济增长的作用是不同的。2009年之前,高中学历人力资本是模型中解释度较好的人力资本。从2009年开始,对经济增长起明显促进作用的是大专及以上学历人力资本。在大专及以上学历人力资本成为经济增长的主要人力资本动力的同时,物质资本对经济增长的重要性在降低。对2009年之后的数据进行Malmquist指数测算,发现部分省级区域的全要素生产率有所下降。不同省级区域根据自身情况进行人力资本的结构优化。     

ICT as a source of output and productivity growth in Finland

This paper analyses the impacts of information and communications technology on output and labour productivity growth in Finland in 1995–2005. Information and communications technology (ICT) accounted for 1.87 percentage points of the observed labour productivity growth at the average rate of 2.87 per cent. The contribution from increases in ICT capital intensity was 0.46 percentage points. The rest is attributed to multi-factor productivity growth in ICT production, especially in telecommunications production. The ongoing outsourcing of ICT production to low-wage countries provides a threat to productivity performance in the future. Policy makers should consider where the next wave of productivity growth will come from.     

Determinants of IT Usage and New Product Performance*

Explosive growth of information technologies (IT) has prompted interest in examining the role of IT in new product development (NPD). Through desktop software and Web‐based tools, IT has been used to aid idea generation and product testing as well as for NPD activities such as process and portfolio management. Recent research suggests, however, that a gap exists between IT availability and usage. Given the importance of IT in creating business value through the development of new products and services, the present study seeks to identify factors that affect IT usage. Further, anecdotal evidence and conceptual studies intimate that the usage of IT tools for NPD can shorten time to market, can improve product quality, and can increase productivity. However, empirical substantiation of this impact is mostly nonexistent. The current study investigates the relationship between IT usage and two measures of new product performance: speed to market and market performance. Employing a mail‐survey methodology, the study uses data from a sample of practitioner members from the Product Development & Management Association to examine the effect of project risk, existence of a champion, autonomy, innovative climate, IT infrastructure, and IT embeddedness on the extent of IT usage. These data are also used to explore the impact of IT usage on speed to market and market performance. The results indicate that project risk, existence of a champion, and IT embeddedness positively affect the extent of IT usage for NPD. Additionally, IT usage positively and significantly influences the performance of the new product in the marketplace. Surprisingly, and contrary to popular belief, IT usage does not have any impact on speed to market. An important implication of this study is that IT usage influences performance but not in the way managers expect. Specifically, IT usage does not seem to affect speed to market but rather positively impacts the performance of the new product in the marketplace. This result suggests that IT usage in NPD provides far more value to firms than previously thought and provides evidence to support greater investments in IT for product development efforts. Other implications of the study are that unless IT is embedded into the NPD process and champions for IT tools exist, chances are that IT will not be used and its benefits will not be realized.     

The impacts of country characteristics upon the value of information technology as measured by productive efficiency

Based on the theory of production, this paper investigates information technology (IT) contribution at a country level by linking it to the complementarity/substitutability phenomena created by the joint presence of IT and the five selected national characteristics. It negates the relationship between IT value and productivity based on a comprehensive panel data set from 25 countries over the period 1997-2006, when the individual analytical method is applied and productive efficiency is used as the performance criterion. The IT productivity paradox is re-examined under the one-equation stochastic frontier production model, while the influence of the five national characteristics is tested under the two-equation stochastic frontier production model. The findings include the following: (i) The IT productivity paradox occurs in not only middle-income (developing) countries but also high-income (developed) countries. (ii) Eastern European countries gain more productive efficiency than the G7 countries when IT is considered as a production factor. (iii) Different national characteristics have impacts on a country's output and productive efficiency. (iv) The chosen national characteristics present both complementarity and substitutability phenomena in association with IT investment, however, the joint presence of national savings and IT creates the substitutability phenomenon across different frontiers. (v) In linking cross-country differences in the IT investments to stages of economic development, our complimentary qualitative analysis tends to conclude that the investments in IT in the advanced developed countries (e.g., G7) and some of the newly developed or emerging economies are likely needed to keep the pace with other competitors and maintain their status of economic development; and the IT investments in the Eastern European countries are necessary to reach the competitive level as well as to raise their economic-development level. (vi) An important policy implication is that policy makers must carefully utilize national characteristics while formulating IT investment strategies.     

北京市经济结构分析

通过对北京市的经济结构进行实证分析，发现在北京市的经济结构中，工业对经济增长的贡献很大，这种贡献是通过扩大经济的整体生产规模和提高资本产出效率的方式做出的，因此无论从经济增长的角度还是从增加财政收入（包括资本利得）的角度，政府都有推动发展工业，提高国有工业份额的激励。但是通过所有制对经济影响的实证分析，我们发现在北京市的工业中，国家资本基本上已经市场化，国家资本在原体制下所承担的社会职能属性已基本消失，因此国有资本所占的份额越多对劳动者越有利的传统所有制观念对市场化的国家资本并不成立。所以由政府发展工业来推动的经济增长劳动者通过市场有效地将经济增长带来的好处分配给劳动者，使劳动者受益，反而会减少劳动者的相对收入。因此政府在主导工业发展并以此促进经济增长的同时，还必须辅之以适当的收入分配方式。     

Who Benefits from Training and R&D,the Firm or the Workers?

The present paper offers a novel study of the effects of intangible assets on wages and productivity. Training, R&D and physical capital are all taken into account, and their joint effects are examined. We use panels of firms in order to control for unobserved fixed effects and the potential endogeneity of training and R&D, using data for France and Sweden. The estimation of productivity and wage equations allows us to show how the benefits of investment in physical capital, training and R&D are shared between the firm and the workers. We found that firms indeed obtain the largest part of the returns to their investments, but their share is relatively lower for intangible assets (R&D and training) than for physical capital.     

Oligopolistic competition,IT use for product differentiation and the productivity paradox

Empirical studies suggest that the huge investment in information technologies (IT) of the past two decades has led to no significant increase in productivity; this phenomenon is known as the ‘productivity paradox’. It has been argued that the paradox might result from oligopolistic competition: because of strategic interaction, each individual firm might find it profitable to invest in cost-reducing IT, but total investment might then be excessive from the industry’s point of view. I confirm this view and strengthen it by allowing IT investment to be also devoted to product differentiation which makes the productivity paradox more likely. The emergence of Web-based electronic commerce provides an illustration of the forces identified in the model.     

信息技术革命与生产率悖论

信息技术革命无疑是人类经济史上一次意义深远的技术进步,但是统计上的观察表明,自20世纪六七十年代美国爆发信息技术革命以来,经济不仅没有得到更快的增长,而且与此前的年份相比,劳动生产率、全要素生产增长水平反而呈现出一种下降的趋势。理论上,一般把这种现象称作为“生产率悖论”。本文试图对这一悖论的几种解释进行考察和评析,以期为国内相关研究提供一个理论基础。     

ICT capital and labour productivity growth: A non-parametric analysis of 14 OECD countries

This paper uses a new set of country data for 14 countries, members of the OECD, and a non-parametric approach to provide new evidence on the impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on labour productivity growth between 1995 and 2005. For the first time, in the present paper a bootstrap approach for the decomposition of labour productivity change, proposed by Kumar and Russell (2002), is employed. This approach permits to conduct statistical inference on the parameters of interest, and to analyse the effects of ICT technologies on capital accumulation. The results confirm the role of ICT as a general purpose technology that needs organisational and business process changes to fully exploit its growth opportunities. The paper also finds out, by applying a non-parametric test, that ICT technologies positively contribute to the generation of convergence clubs in the evolution of labour productivity. Finally, the empirical evidence offers some basic guidance for future policy intervention in supporting ICT capital investments.