Technological Diffusion and Productivity Convergence: A Study for Manufacturing in the OECD

In this article is investigated the issue of total factor productivity convergence through international technological diffusion on disaggregate manufacturing panel data from 1970 to 1995 with respect to a set of OECD countries. Estimates of alternate growth equations imply conditional convergence in all industries. Leaving out the conditioning variables still implies a significant catch-up effect in a great majority of industries. These same industries are also characterized by σ-convergence and by a tendency toward a unimodal distribution of relative productivity levels. These results suggest that, during the period of investigation, total factor productivity growth performances in OECD manufacturing were dominated by transitional dynamics. Evidence in favor of the presence of a unit root in the technology gap between frontier and non-frontier countries is, therefore, misleading.     

Agricultural productivity evolution in China: A generalized decomposition of the Luenberger-Hicks-Moorsteen productivity indicator

China has undergone a series of agricultural policy reforms since 1978. The measurement of the productivity gains and identification of the underlying drivers thereof are important facets of policy analysis. The commonly used Total Factor Productivity (TFP) measures often lack such desirable properties as completeness or independence of the direction of the optimization (orientation). In this paper, we take a top down approach by beginning with a TFP measure and then decomposing it into three mutually exclusive, exhaustive elements. In particular, we begin with the additively complete Luenberger-Hicks-Moorsteen (LHM) TFP indicator that takes into account both input and output changes when measuring productivity and then additively decompose it into measures of technological progress, technical efficiency change, and scale efficiency change. We develop a generalized decomposition of the LHM TFP indicator which encompasses both input-oriented and output-oriented changes over time. We illustrate this additively complete LHM TFP indicator using agricultural data from 31 Chinese provinces over the period 1997–2015. Our empirical results show that Chinese agricultural productivity growth (3.05% per annum) was mainly driven by technological progress (2.35% p.a.), with relatively small contributions from scale efficiency change (0.65% p.a.) and technical efficiency change (0.04% p.a.). We also found that productivity change and the relative importance of its components varied across both time and provinces.     

Industrial Productivity Convergence in China

This paper examines the convergence process of industrial productivity between Chinese regions. Both σ- and β-convergences are investigated using a panel data set of 30 provinces and autonomous regions over the period 1985–1999. Unconditional σ- and β-convergence methods fail to detect productivity convergence over the whole sample period, although they suggest convergence during a sub-period 1985–1990. The estimates of a human capital enhanced production function, with the constant return to scale constraint, show that productivity gaps between Chinese regions declined during 1985–1999 with a rate of convergence of around 1.3% per annum. Similar results are also found when the data are disaggregated into three broader geographic regions.     

对安徽省发展农产品物流的几点思考

安徽省是我国的农业大省,具有丰富的农产品资源.如何发展具有安徽本省特点的农产品物流问题正在成为安徽省物流行业新的课题.文章尝试对农产品物流的概念进行界定,提出农产品物流的特殊性,并结合安徽省情指出了安徽省农产品物流发展中存在的问题及相应的解决方法.     

Productivity growth, technological progress, and efficiency change in chinese agriculture after rural economic reforms: A DEA approach

This study applies a data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach to analyze total factor productivity, technology, and efficiency changes in Chinese agricultural production from 1984 to 1993. Twenty-nine provinces in China were classified into advanced-technology and low-technology categories. The Malmquist (1953) productivity measures were decomposed into two components: technical change index and efficiency change index. The results show that total factor productivity has risen in most provinces for both technology categories during the 1984–1993 period. Technical progress was mostly attributed to Chinese agricultural productivity growth after the rural economic reforms. The deterioration in technical efficiency in many provinces indicates China has great potential to increase productivity through improved technical efficiency. Enhancing rural education and research and development (R&D) in agriculture may also help farmers to improve technical efficiency and productivity in agricultural production.     

Inter-regional difference of agricultural productivity in China: Distinction between biochemical and machinery technology

The major objective of this article is to measure the inter-regional difference in agricultural productivity of China, and then to test empirically whether or not some relevant hypotheses with respect to agricultural technology are valid. The analysis shows that biochemical (BC) technological changes account for a significant part of China's agricultural production growth. This result is consistent with the fact that China's factor endowments are characterized by abundant farm labor relative to scarce arable land. Besides, in accordance with the standard theory of market failure, the benefits accruing to BC technological development are not privately appropriable. Thus, it can be hypothesized that the inter-regional difference in BC technological attainment must be closely associated with public spending in agricultural R&E activities at a local level. The random effects model reveals that the BC technological level is high in provinces where the public sectors are seriously committed to R&E activities. In addition, the analysis lends strong support to the validity of the induced innovation hypothesis with respect to M technological progress.     

“十二五”期间安徽农业产业发展的路径选择

安徽是农业大省，主要农产品产量居全国位次靠前，但与自然条件相近的周边省份相比，其生产效率却存在明显差距，尤其是劳动生产率和土地生产率水平明显低于周边省份。文章分析认为，安徽农业生产效率偏低的主要原因在于主要农产品单产水平低、特色农业发展缓慢、农牧业转化效率低和生产基础条件建设滞后。据此，“十二五”期间安徽农业发展应实施强基固本支撑战略、粮棉油高产提升战略、“粮转肉”增值战略和特色农业基地化战略等四大战略。     

加工贸易提高了环境全要素生产率吗——基于Luenberger生产率指数的研究

为系统考察加工贸易对经济增长、环境污染的影响,本文依托中国30个省份2000—2009年的数据测算出考虑坏产出的Luenberger生产率指数,并在此基础上对加工贸易的环境全要素生产率效应展开深入分析。研究表明,加工贸易和环境全要素生产率之间存在着显著的倒U形关系,当加工贸易占货物贸易的比重超过0．35时,加工贸易将对中国环境全要素生产率产生负效应。与此同时,出口和进口在环境全要素生产率的决定中有着完全相反的作用。在以上结论的基础上,本文提出了调整外贸模式、完善产业政策、协调区域发展的若干政策建议。     

Efficiency Gains from Port Reform and the Potential for Yardstick Competition: Lessons from Mexico

This paper shows how measures of relative efficiency performance could promote yardstick competition between port infrastructure operators. The illustration is based on a study of the efficiency effects of the Mexican 1993 Port Reform. It covers 1996–99 and relies on a stochastic production frontier to show that Mexico's ports achieved 2.8–3.3% average annual efficiency gains since reform. The port-specific measures point to consistent leaders and laggards which would not all be identified by common partial productivity indicators. This information could be built into an explicit incentive-based regulatory regime aiming at promoting catch-up by laggards.     

Understanding openness and productivity growth in China: An empirical study of the Chinese provinces

This paper investigates the effects of openness on China's regional productivity growth. We build a model of technology diffusion in which follower economies achieve productivity growth by taking advantage of technology spillovers from the world technology frontier. We hypothesize that China's regional productivity growth is a positive function of regional openness and a negative function of the current level of regional productivity. Empirical analysis in this paper focuses on how openness affects productivity growth in the Chinese provinces. We examine two effects of openness on regional productivity growth in China: the direct growth effect and the convergence effect. By using a variety of panel data regression techniques, we show that the direct growth effect of openness is the main effect while the convergence effect is insignificant. The findings of this paper lend strong support to the claim that the opening-up of China promotes the country's economic growth.     

How does real exchange rate influence labour productivity in China?

Since China's transition to a market economy, the labour productivity growth has been dramatically rapid, in particular since 1994. This speeding up has been accompanied by the reverse of the exchange rate policy of China, which has strongly depreciated its currency before 1994, and then either appreciated or stabilized it. The theoretical arguments suggesting several kinds of real exchange rate impact on labour productivity are developed. An econometric model is then proposed and estimated, using panel data for the twenty-nine Chinese provinces and for the period from 1986 to 2007. The econometric results show that the appreciation of the real exchange rate had a favourable effect on the labour productivity growth, leading to a kind of virtuous circle: the real appreciation of the currency boosts the growth of labour productivity while, according to the Balassa–Samuelson effect, productivity growth tends to push up the real appreciation. Moreover, this favourable effect is stronger in inland provinces than in coastal provinces, contributing to a minimizing of the gap between inland and coastal provinces.     

Real Output and Labour Productivity in Indonesian Manufacturing, 1975–90

This article presents estimates of purchasing power parities, real output and labour productivity in medium and large scale manufacturing in a binary comparison between Indonesia and the USA in the benchmark year 1987, It applies an industry of origin approach, comparing product unit values from the censuses of both countries. The 1987 PPP for manufacturing was Rp 1,200/$. Gross value added per person employed in 1987 was 10% of that in the USA. With the use of national time series, the 1987 benchmark was extrapolated backwards and forwards to derive productivity comparisons for the years 1975–90 in 15 branches of manufacturing. 1975–80 was a period of catch-up, with labour productivity increasing from 7.7 to 10.6% of the US level. Between 1980 and 1990 catch-up stagnated: relative productivity remained unchanged despite considerable productivity growth in Indonesia, Comparisons with other Asian economies show that labour productivity in Indonesia was somewhat higher than in India, but was still lower in 1990 than that of South Korea in 1970.     

中国西南地区农业经济综合评价研究——基于熵权TOPSIS法

农业是第一产业,是提供支撑国民经济建设与发展的基础产业.以中国西南地区5省区市为研究对象,选择可以直接反映农业经济发展状况的16个指标,运用熵值法首先对西南地区农业经济发展的整体状况进行赋权,然后分别从农业经济总体、农业经济、农业生态、农业社会4个不同的维度出发对西南地区5个省区市农业经济发展水平进行评价,在此基础上得到各省区市的得分,分析西南地区农业发展总体情况以及经济、生态、社会3个不同维度,给出相应的建议.     

Impact of public research and development and extension on agricultural productivity in China from 1990 to 2013

Agricultural research and extension are two main policy tools that governments can use to generate agricultural growth and transformation. China has made major investments in agricultural research and extension such that it achieved the largest research and extension systems worldwide. This study examined the contribution of public agricultural research and extension to provincial agricultural productivity in China from 1990 to 2013 and estimated the social rate of return on these investments. Employing different lag distribution structures (e.g., trapezoid, gamma, and polynomial) for public agricultural research and extension in the regression analyses, this study found that public agricultural research and development, public extension, and farmers' education have made major contributions to agricultural productivity growth in China. On average, the real rate of return to public investment in agricultural research and development was around 50%, and agricultural extension was 29%. Returns to public research ranged from 24% to 76% and the extension, from 11% to 52% across different provinces.     

中小企业成长：外部环境、内部治理与企业绩效——基于23个省市300家中小企业的经验数据

本文关注转轨经济背景下中小企业成长的外部环境与内部治理对企业绩效的影响,以23个省市14个行业300家中小企业为样本,采用多因素方差分析的计量经济学方法,对影响企业绩效的外部环境因素和内部治理因素进行了检验。研究结果表明外部环境因素中的政策环境、法律环境和经济环境均不能够显著解释中小企业绩效,而第一大股东持股比例、两职设置情况和专业委员会设置三个内部治理因素中只有专业委员会设置情况能够显著解释中小企业绩效。最后提出中小企业提高对公司治理重要性的认识并建立适合自身要求的治理结构与机制,以及建立中小企业多元化融资体系的政策建议。     

Total factor productivity in South African agriculture, 1947‐91

Indices of total factor productivity (TFP) measure aggregate output per unit of aggregate input, providing a guide to the efficiency of agricultural production. This article outlines the relationship between production functions and TFP indices. Then, an index is constructed for South African agriculture for the period 1947‐91. The index shows that TFP grew at an average rate of 1,3 per cent per annum. However, TFP growth has increased since the reforms of the early 1980s. Since capital has been more realistically priced relative to labour, greater productivity growth has gone together with increasing employment, which must have improved social welfare.     

全球制造业传统与环境生产率变化及收敛性的比较论证

文章旨在通过2000-2009年期间数据研究制造业在全球经济体以及不同行业之间传统生产率以及能源生产率的变化趋势以及收敛特征。相比于传统生产率,在核算能源生产率过程中纳入了二氧化碳排放量等非期望型产出。分别采用DEA-Malmquist以及Global Malmquist Luenberger指数法测算两类生产率指数并进行比较分析,进而对分经济体以及分行业两类生产率进行了收敛性的检验。研究指出制造业在经济体之间以及行业之间的δ收敛特征均不明显,但除了重工业的传统生产率,其他分经济体以及分行业之间两类生产率都存在显著的绝对β收敛以及条件β收敛。总体上能源效率的收敛速度低于传统效率,但在不同行业及经济体之间,收敛的态势与表现存在较大的差异。     

我国农业经济发展水平及其影响因素实证研究

农业经济发展与农业生产自然制约条件、农业人力资本投入、农业生产资本投入、农业生产技术、农业经济的市场作用、农业生产条件制约因素等密切相关.本文选取反映农业经济增长的13个指标,对其1980-2012年的时间序列运用主成分回归分析与其误差修正模型,研究我国农业经济发展全要素生产率及影响我国农业长期经济发展与短期经济发展的因素.结果表明,影响我国农业长期与短期经济发展的主要因素按影响力大小依次为农业生产条件、市场作用、自然制约条件、农业生产资本、农业生产技术、人力资源.     

Agricultural Productivity and Economic Growth: Role of Tax Revenues and Infrastructures

To encourage economic growth in a developing economy, higher agricultural productivity has been believed to enhance the manufacturing sector's development, which provides the transition into industrialization. Although this positive linkage between agricultural productivity and economic growth has been judged to be incorrect, based upon the comparative advantage argument in a model of small-open economies by Matsuyama (1992), this article revisits the linkage by extending Matsuyama's model by introducing the revenue-generating effect, which is missing in his model. As agriculture is an important source of taxation in an early stage of economic development, higher agricultural productivity generates more tax revenues and facilitates spending on infrastructure. By introducing government taxation and infrastructure expenditure, we show that under proper conditions, higher agricultural productivity creates a positive growth effect via the revenue generation that dominates the negative growth effect through the comparative advantage. Moreover, introducing infrastructure expenditure may shift the manufacturing sector's original comparative disadvantage into comparative advantage, thereby enabling a trapped economy to take off and eventually industrialize. From the early stages of economic development in Japan, Taiwan, and Korea, we can quantitatively assess an obvious net positive effect of agricultural productivity upon labor allocation and economic growth.     

Innovation and Productivity Advances in British Agriculture: 1620–1850

Theory, historiography, and empirical evidence suggest that agriculture is the key to economic development. This article examines the extent to which productivity advances in British agriculture during the period 1620–1850 were driven by technological progress. Measuring technology by patents and new book titles on agricultural methods, the results are consistent with endogenous growth theory, indicating that technological progress has played a significant role in agricultural productivity advances.