Chinese investment in Australian infrastructure assets: accounting for local public preferences

Chinese investment in Australian infrastructure assets can bring economic benefits for both countries. However, it can also create domestic political challenges. This is because Australian public support for foreign investment in infrastructure is limited. In order to better inform public policy and firm decision-making in both China and Australia, this paper undertakes a choice modelling analysis of original survey data to determine the drivers of local public preferences. The Australian public is found to be more concerned by the share of foreign ownership an investment will bring rather than the fact it is from China. Accounting for these preferences, such as through the recruitment of local partner companies, will facilitate Chinese investment in Australian infrastructure, and potentially, greater bilateral engagement on the Belt and Road Initiative. The Australian case might also offer wider lessons for Chinese investment in infrastructure assets abroad.     

国有企业改制效果的实证研究

本文通过对1998至2003年间全部国有企业和规模以上非国有企业的数据进行分析来研究我国国有企业改制的效果。我们不仅考察了改制对企业经济效益的影响,而且考察了改制对企业社会效益指标的影响。此外,我们还分析了改制影响经济效益的渠道、国有控股和非国有控股的差别、以及改制效果的可持续性。本文的主要发现是:改制后企业经济效益显著提高,并且主要来自于代理成本的降低,表现为管理费用率的下降;改制带来了一定的社会成本,但和国际经验相比程度不是很大;国有控股改制社会效益较好,而非国有控股改制经济效益较好;改制效果在一定期间内持续。     

企业成长性的因素分析：来自上市公司的证据

本文采用计量研究方法，对企业成长性的影响因素进行了较广泛深入地分析。作者调查了2003年以前在上海交易所上市的763家上市公司，以2003年的横截面数据为样本，从行业属性、企业规模、资产结构、财务杠杆以及公司治理结构等方面实证考察了各个主要因素对公司成长性的影响。本文的研究结果表明，上市公司所处的行业大多对公司成长性具有显著的影响，企业成长性表现出显著的行业效应。另外，企业规模、固定资产投资、财务杠杆和股权结构对企业成长性也具有显著的影响。     

Does Taxation Stifle Corporate Investment? Firm‐Level Evidence from ASEAN Countries

This article conducts a firm‐level analysis of the effect of taxation on corporate investment, using large‐scale panel data on non‐financial firms over the period 1990–2014, and controlling for macrostructural differences among ASEAN countries. We find a significant degree of persistence in fixed investment over time, which varies with firm characteristics, such as size, growth prospects, profitability and leverage. The non‐linear estimations indicate that taxation facilitates business investment (possibly by enabling public investment in infrastructure and human capital, and the proper functioning of government institutions), but this effect turns negative and stifles private investment growth as the tax burden increases.     

Ownership Structure and Firm Performance: Evidence from Vietnamese Listed Firms

We examine the effect of ownership structure on firm performance, for firms listed on Vietnamese stock exchanges, using 2744 firm‐year observations over the period from 2007 to 2012. We find a non‐linear relationship between ownership structure and firm performance. State ownership has a convex relationship with firm performance. This paper finds that firm performance increases beyond 28.67 percent level of state ownership. Foreign ownership has a concave relationship with firm performance. We find that firm performance increases with an increase of foreign ownership up to a level of 43 percent and then decreases. Policy makers should encourage foreign ownership and widely dispersed state ownership in firms, which can help improve firm performance.     

Bargaining, Bonding, and Partial Ownership

This article provides a theory of interfirm partial ownership. We consider a setting in which an upstream firm can make two alternative types of investment: either specific investment that only a particular downstream firm can use or general investment that any downstream firm is capable of using. When the benefits from specific and general investments are both stochastic, equity participation by the downstream firm in the upstream firm can lead to more efficient outcomes than take-or-pay contracts. The optimal ownership stake of the downstream firm is less than 50 percent under a natural assumption about relative bargaining power.     

大股东的所有权与企业的投资行为研究

Jensen和Meckling早在1976年就指出股权结构影响企业价值,而这一过程是通过影响投资实现的,但是一直缺乏有说服力的经验结果的支持。本文以2004～2007年1039家上市公司共4156个观察值为研究样本,从第一大股东股权的视角出发,研究了股权结构与公司投资水平之间的关系。研究发现,中国上市公司第一大股东的持股比例与公司的投资支出之间存在“下降-上升-下降”的“倒N”型的非线性关系;进一步研究后发现,持股比例在10％～20％的区间投资水平达到最小值,在60％～70％的区间达到最大值。但是这种“倒N”型的非线性关系只存在于非国家控股的公司,当第一大股东为国家股时,这种非线性关系会变得不显著。本文的研究为治理当前我国企业普遍存在的非效率投资、提升企业价值提供了经验证据。     

技术创新对股权结构与企业绩效的中介效应

基于2013-2017年我国277家创业板上市制造业企业数据,采用中介效应检验方法分析股权结构、技术创新与企业绩效三者间的相互关系。结果表明：①第一大股东持股比例与技术创新、企业绩效间均呈显著正相关关系;②股权集中度与技术创新、企业绩效间均呈显著正相关关系;③在股权适度集中的基础上,股权制衡度与技术创新和企业绩效均呈显著正相关关系;④技术创新部分中介了股权结构对企业绩效的影响。研究结果有助于厘清股权结构、技术创新与企业绩效三者间的相互关系,对于我国企业自主创新能力提升及企业绩效可持续增长具有重要意义。     

Competition and ownership structure: Substitutes or complements? Evidence from the Warsaw Stock Exchange

In this paper we analyse the impact of product market competition and ownership structure on firm performance. Our results show that product market competition has a positive and significant impact on performance. Concerning the effect of ownership concentration, we find a U–shaped relationship with performance. Firms with relatively dispersed and relatively concentrated ownership have higher productivity growth than firms with an intermediate level of ownership concentration. This correlation between concentration of ownership and productivity growth is not explained by the type of the controlling shareholder. Finally, product market competition and good governance tend to reinforce each other rather than to be substitutes. Competition has no significant effect on performance for the firms with ‘poor’ governance; on the contrary, it has a significant positive effect in the case of firms with ‘good’ corporate governance. JEL classification: D24, G32, L1, P2.     

The Determinants of Firm Performance and Bribery: Evidence from Manufacturing Firms in Nigeria

This paper uses ordinary least squares with firm effects and Probit regression models to investigate the determinants of firm performance and the likelihood of firms to pay bribes. Results for the manufacturing firms in Nigeria show that skilled workforce, exports, foreign ownership and capital investment influence firm performance. Conversely, poor electricity delivery and difficulty obtaining finance impede firm performance. Total sales and time spent dealing with government regulations increase the likelihood of firms to pay bribes. Surprisingly, foreign firms are as much likely to pay bribes as domestic firms. Policy implications from the findings are important considering that the manufacturing sector assumes an important role in the Lewis theory of economic development.     

Infrastructure,Multinational Affiliate Production,and the Pattern of Trade

In a two-country general equilibrium model with endogenously determined domestic and multinational firms, it is shown that public infrastructure development can have diverging implications for horizontal multinational affiliate firm production and trade, depending on the type of infrastructure invested in. Infrastructure investments with strong productive or local transport effects (i.e. schools or local roads) lead to greater domestic firm production and exports, fewer imports, and more foreign multinational affiliate firm production in the country making the investment. On the other hand, infrastructure projects that lower international trade and transaction costs (i.e. shipping ports or airports) lead to more domestic firms in both countries, a greater volume of bilateral exports in both directions, and less multinational affiliate production. Further, the effect of different types of infrastructure investment on income and welfare of the open economies is explored.     

Potential effects of scaling-up infrastructure in Peru: a general equilibrium model-based analysis

ABSTRACT

This study assesses and compares the potential economic impacts of different investment plans dedicated to filling infrastructure gaps in Peru. Using a national database at the firm level, we start by estimating empirically the positive externalities of Peruvian infrastructure, such as energy, telecommunications, and transportation facilities, on the output of private activities. In the second step, these estimates are introduced in a dynamic computable general equilibrium model used to conduct counterfactual simulations of various investment plans in infrastructure over a 15-year period. These simulations show first to what extent scaling-up infrastructure could be a worthwhile strategy to achieve economic growth in Peru; however, they also show that these benefits depend on the choice of funding schemes related to such public spending.     

Investment climate and firm productivity: an application to Vietnamese manufacturing firms

The fundamental aspect of a national competitive advantage is a good investment climate. Understanding the role of the investment climate in generating firm productivity has received extensive attention by policymakers and economists in many countries. The article studies the effect of different dimensions of the investment climate on firm productivity. Using a large dataset of Vietnamese manufacturing firms, the article finds that deficiencies in the investment climate are prejudicial to firm productivity and competition. Furthermore, in examining the effect of corruption in association with the quality of the business environment, the study also investigates the possibility that corruption may compensate firms for a bad investment climate or at least may neutralize the negative impact of inefficient government regulations. In other words, corruption acts as ‘speed money’ to improve the efficacy of the provision of public services or provides leeway for entrepreneurs to bypass the inefficient regulations. This situation, however, is extremely harmful to the economy in the long run because it distorts the market and erodes the incentives for productive investments. Developing countries therefore need to put much more effort into institutional reforms, especially fighting corruption and efficiency in the provision of public goods and services.     

Post-privatization corporate governance and firm performance: The role of private ownership concentration,identity and board composition

We examine and analyze the post-privatization corporate governance of a sample of 52 newly privatized Egyptian firms over a period of 10 years, from 1995 to 2005. We look at the ownership structure that results from privatization and its evolution; the determinants of private ownership concentration; and the impact of private ownership concentration, identity and board composition on firm performance. We find that the state gives up control over time to the private sector, but still controls, on average, more than 35% of these firms. We also document a trend in private ownership concentration over time, mostly to the benefit of foreign investors. Firm size, sales growth, industry affiliation, and timing and method of privatization seem to play a key role in determining private ownership concentration. Ownership concentration and ownership identity, in particular foreign investors, prove to have a positive impact on firm performance, while employee ownership concentration has a negative one. The higher proportion of outside directors and the change in the board composition following privatization have a positive effect on firm performance. These results could have some important policy implications where private ownership by foreign investors seems to add more value to firms, while selling state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to employees is not recommended. Also, the state is highly advised to relinquish control and allow for changes in the board of directors following privatization as changing ownership, per se, might not have a positive impact on firm performance unless it is coupled with a new management style.     

Ownership transformation,firm performance and manufacturing growth in China

Many commentators and researchers have attributed the manufacturing success in China to its ownership reforms. Using a micro database from the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics, this paper documents and quantifies this development. With systematic and robust analyses, it shows that the development of private ownership indeed played an essential role in improving firm performance and the allocation and utilization of production resources in the Chinese manufacturing sector. In addition, the paper estimates the contributions of firms under different ownership to manufacturing growth, showing that the development of private ownership was the driving force of manufacturing growth in China. The strong credible evidence has important policy implications for further maintaining sustainable development in China.     

Organizational transparency and power in firm ownership networks

When public institutions do not support information disclosure and contract enforcement, controlling owners may compensate by setting up ownership networks that facilitate the exchange of resources and alignment of interests. We examine how firms’ controlling owners draw power from ownership networks to provide access to resources for or to expropriate resources from their firms. Horizontal power originates from network centrality and is associated with resource access whereas vertical power originates from principal-principal agency conflicts and is associated with exploitation of minority shareholders. We highlight the impact of horizontal and vertical power through their interaction effects with transparency and disclosure (TD) practices on fixed investments and performance in Russian firms. We find that TD and horizontal power or connectedness are substitutes, while whereas TD and vertical power are complements in their effects on fixed investment and firm performance. Without a strong commitment to TD, powerful owners may thus deprive the firm of productive investments.     

国有企业上市对绩效的影响:一种处理效应方法

本文基于1998—2007年中国制造业企业层面面板数据,从盈利、效率和投资三个方面对中国国有企业公开上市对其绩效的影响进行研究。我们特别考察了数据中的样本选择偏差,并且引入项目评估计量经济学中非参数的处理效应估计方法以控制选择偏差以及由此导致股权结构的内生性问题。我们发现公开上市的企业的绩效在上市之前就相对良好。在控制了这种差别及其他的影响因素后,上市提高了国有企业的销售利润率、净利润水平、人均销售额和人均利润额,并促进了企业的资本支出和长期投资。这一结果与忽略选择偏差和内生性时所得到的估计结果有明显差异。     

高管激励调节下研发投入与企业绩效关系研究

以中国上市公司为研究样本,实证分析了高管激励对研发投入与企业绩效关系的调节作用。通过对企业总样本的研究发现,研发投入对企业绩效具有显著促进作用;高管股权激励对研发投入与企业绩效具有显著正向调节作用,但薪酬激励的调节作用不显著。进一步研究发现,所有制形式是影响高管激励调节作用的重要情景要素,高管薪酬激励对国有企业和非国有企业的研发投入与绩效关系分别起着正向和负向调节作用;而高管股权激励仅对非国有企业具有显著正向调节作用。同时发现,反映公司治理和财务运营质量方面的控制变量对不同所有制企业高管激励发挥调节作用的影响程度不同。研究结论可为企业制定合理的高管激励机制,提高创新绩效提供决策参考。     

区域发展战略能促进经济增长吗*——以振兴东北老工业基地战略为例

为了验证区域发展战略能否促进经济增长,笔者利用2003年实施的振兴东北老工业基地战略作为准自然实验,实证评估了该战略对促进东北地区经济增长的净效应。笔者引入项目评估计量经济学中的合成控制法控制了选择性偏差和由此导致的内生性问题。实证结果表明,振兴东北老工业基地战略的实施,使得东北三省2003年以来的年均经济增长率增加了11个百分点~16个百分点,但自2007年以来该战略的经济增长效应呈递减趋势。进一步分析发现,振兴东北老工业基地战略的经济增长效应,主要是通过增加投资和政府支出、改善基础设施实现的, 人力资本积累、科技进步和投资环境并未改善,产业结构和所有制结构虽有改善但作用有限。因此,这种增长效应容易受到经济周期的冲击而缺乏可持续性。进一步深化东北振兴战略,需要调整对东北地区政策扶持的方向、方式和对象。     

Information technology investment and firm performance in US retail trade

We examine the relationship between investments in information technology (IT) and retail firm performance. We use untapped firm and establishment micro data from the Censuses of Retail Trade and the Assets and Expenditures Survey. We show that large firms account for most retail IT investment, employment, and establishment growth. We find evidence of a significant relationship between IT investment intensity and productivity growth.