Manufacturing in South Africa over the last decade: a review of industrial performance and policy

This article outlines South Africa's comparative industrial performance over approximately the last two decades. It then examines the policies effected by the Department of Trade and Industry since 1994 to promote the development of industry. The focus is on the sector‐specific supports available to the auto and auto components and the clothing and textiles sectors. The final section locates these sector‐specific support measures within a broader discussion of industrial policy.     

Book Reviews

Books Reviewed:
Bob Reece, The origins of Irish convict transportation to New South Wales
Michael Webber and Sally Weller, Refashioning the rag trade. Internationalizing Australia's textiles, clothing and footwear industries
Raymond Markey (ed.), Labour & community: historical essays
John Ravenhill, APEC and the construction of Pacific Rim regionalism
S. Sugiyama and Linda Grove (eds.), Commercial networks in modern     

Structural Adjustment Programmes and Technical Efficiency in the Malawian Manufacturing Sector

This paper examines the efficiency of firms within the structural adjustment period in four sub‐sectors in Malawian manufacturing industry: food processing, tea processing, clothing and footwear, and pharmaceuticals and soaps. We first estimate stochastic production frontiers for each sub‐sector and predict firm level efficiencies using panel data between 1984 and 1988. Secondly, we attempt to associate predicted firm level efficiencies with firm‐specific and industry characteristics using a censored Tobit regression analysis. Results reveal that the average annual technical efficiency ranges from 53 per cent in the pharmaceuticals and soaps sub‐sector in 1984 to 83 per cent in the clothing and footwear sub‐sector in 1984. Technical efficiencies decline over time in the food processing, tea processing, and clothing and footwear sub‐sectors while those in the pharmaceuticals and soaps sub‐sector increase over time. We also find that technical efficiency significantly declines with firm size, domestic monopoly power and tariffs, while it is a positive function of factor intensity and skills of workers. Cet article examine l’efficience des entreprises en période d’ajustement structurel dans quatre sous‐secteurs de l’industrie manufacturière au Malawi: agroalimentaire, transformation du thé, vêtements et chaussures, produits pharmaceutiques et savons. Nous estimons d’abord pour chaque sous‐secteur des frontières stochastiques des possibilités de production et nous prédisons le niveau d’efficience des entreprises sur la base des données recueillies au moyen d’un panel entre 1984 et 1988. En second lieu, nous tentons d’associer le niveau d’efficience prédit à des caractéristiques propres à l’entreprise ou au métier en utilisant une analyse de régression censurée. Les résultats montrent que l’efficience technique varie en moyenne de 53% dans le sous‐secteur des produits pharmaceutiques et savons en 1984 à 83% dans le sous‐secteur des vêtements et chaussures en 1984. L’efficience technique diminue avec le temps dans les sous‐secteurs de l’agroalimentaire, de la transformation du thé ainsi que des vêtements et chaussures, tandis qu’elle s’améliore dans celui des produits pharmaceutiques et savons. On constate également que l’efficience technique baisse sensiblement avec l’accroissement de la taille de l’entreprise, l’acquisition d’une position de monopole et la protection tarifaire, tandis qu’elle augmente avec l’intensité des facteurs et la qualification de la main‐d’oeuvre.     

Empirical vintage models for the Netherlands: A review in outline

Summary The abundant literature on empirical vintage modelling for the Netherlands is not easily accessible. This article provides a discussion of the main issues covered by that research. Attention is given to (theoretical) model specifications, empirically inspired adjustments and empirical results. The empirical evidence for vintage models appears to be convincing, but it does not seem conclusive with respect to a preference for eitherex ante complementarity orex ante substitutability. Comprehensive modelling for the economy of the Netherlands up to now mainly usesex ante complementarity to describe the production technology. Apart from this, policy implications of such models show a degree of nuance which exceeds but also includes the purely demand oriented approach.     

FDI导致中国制造业价格贸易条件恶化了吗?——基于微观贸易数据的GMM方法研究

本文通过建立SITC五位数分类商品与制造业28个行业的对照表,基于微观贸易数据测算了中国制造业28个行业的价格贸易条件,并采用动态面板GMM估计从行业层面分析了FDI对制造业价格贸易条件的影响。研究结果表明:首先,不是所有制造业行业的价格贸易条件都恶化,科技含量较高行业的价格贸易条件不断改善;其次,实证研究证明FDI与中国制造业价格贸易条件正相关,FDI不是造成中国制造业价格贸易条件恶化的因素;最后,增加制造业各行业的资本和科技投入,实施规模生产是改善制造业价格贸易条件的有效途径。     

Survey of recent developments

There is a growing confidence in policy, business and finance circles about Indonesia's ability to withstand global economic and financial shocks, and a renewed belief in domestic sources of growth. Despite uncertainty in Europe and slower than expected recovery in the US, Indonesia is well placed for moderately high growth in the medium term, and economic stability in the shorter term. At the end of June 2011, foreign reserves were at a record high, inflation was down, annual growth was steady at 6.5%, and investment – especially foreign direct investment (FDI) – was up significantly.

Consumer price inflation had fallen to just below 5% by August, from double-digit levels earlier in the year. This was due partly to low food prices and success in sterilising the effects of capital inflows. However, turmoil in international markets led to a sharp fall in the Indonesia stock exchange index and a mild currency depreciation in August– September, prompting central bank intervention in the foreign exchange market. Fiscal policy has remained conservative, aiming for a balanced budget by 2014. However, the government has still not moved to reduce growing fuel and energy subsidies.

While the service sectors have continued to record high rates of growth, there has been a revival of manufacturing in 2011. This is partly underpinned by strong inflows of FDI, and is especially evident in the labour-intensive textiles, clothing and footwear industries after a decade of stagnation. Multinationals have announced plans to expand operations in Indonesia in the past six months to take advantage of new tax incentives. Overseas investors have also been attracted by Indonesia's growing middle class – a result partly of higher rural incomes driven by the commodity boom outside Java.

Some recent ministerial announcements about initiatives to promote domestic industry have a protectionist flavour. A cabinet reshuffle in October may signal a more dirigiste approach to industrial policy – especially the shifting of internationally respected economist Mari Pangestu from the trade portfolio to that of tourism and creative economy.

One important outcome of recent growth has been falling unemployment rates. However, youth unemployment remains a major problem, and efforts to overcome it have been fragmentary. A recent ban on overseas migration of domestic helpers (maids) seems certain to add to labour supply pressures among young people.

The government is now considering how to mobilise its large population base, abundant natural resources and strategic location to play a greater role in the world economy. These assets are central to the ambitious ‘Master Plan’ for longer-term development (2011–25), announced in May. It focuses on developing the resource-rich Outer Island regions, with massive investments in energy and ‘connectivity’ to link the major centres and islands with each other, and centres with their hinterlands. Funding (to come mainly from the private sector), implementation and coordination are all major challenges.     

Information asymmetries and craft guilds in pre‐modern markets: evidence from Italian proto‐industry

This article analyses the relationship between guilds and information asymmetries using a large database of quality disputes from early modern Italy. It finds that a high‐quality urban textile industry was able to solve externalities using a range of ex ante and ex post monitoring mechanisms based on private market relationships and fair sanctions which effectively reduced adverse selection and information asymmetries. Instead, when guilds did use their quality regulations, the effect of the guild on information asymmetries and the industry as a whole was generally negative, by providing mechanisms that could be manipulated by entrenched interest groups for rent‐seeking purposes.     

Trade Policy Issues in the Asian-Pacific Region:

Throughout the 1980s the Asian-Pacific region (and especially fast Asian countries) has achieved rapid economic growth accompanied by drastic changes in industrial production and trade. In the textile and clothing industry (‘textile’ industry hereafter), exporting countries display the ‘flying geese’ pattern. The first-tier exportec Japan, had retreated by the mid- 1970s. The second-tier exporters, the East Asian newly industrializing economies (NIEs, consisting of South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong), are now being replaced by the third-tier, ASEAN and Chinese exporters. The drastic changes in production and trade have resulted from the spread of modern textile production techniques in response to changing comparative advantage. This has been caused by increased labour costs and exchange rate alignment in the first-and second-tier exporters, but it has also been affected by the trade policies of industrial importer countries. The textile industry trade has been tightly managed under the Multi-Fibre Arrangement (MFA), and individual trade flows have been restricted by quota allocation under the MFA. At the current GATT Uruguay Round negotiations the major contracting parties agreed, in the Dunkel text of December 7997, on the gradual phasing out of the MFA restrictions over ten years. How will textile industry trade develop in the absence of the MFA restrictions? This paper focuses on the trade and production of textiles and clothing, but the case of this industry exemplifies important trade policy issues arising from the rapidly changing industrial structure in the Asian-Pacific region. In discussing textile trade policy issues, economists often focus on the MFA. However, the MFA has not produced a watertight regime. Textile production and trade have changed through product and process innovation, new management styles, and the ever-changing tastes of consumers. The MFA restrictions have effected these innovative changes, but the policy issues need to be discussed in this context of industrial change. ¹ 1 The author has published two papers on this issue (Yamazawa 1983, 1989). This paper is a follow-up of earlier discussion. As in past studies, the author has benefited from discussion at the Textile Advisory Committee meetings of Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) and from a field trip to northern China in early 1903.
     

Visualising the operating behaviour of SMEs in sector and cluster: Evidence from the West Midlands

Cluster policy in the UK, pursued by the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs), has readily adopted a simplistic definition based upon industrial sectors and location quotients. Evidence drawn from a study of the operating behaviour of SMEs belonging to two traditional manufacturing industries within the West Midlands—automotive components and clothing—provides a critique of this approach. Whilst the automotive components industry has been designated part of a key, high priority cluster, the clothing industry has not. Using case studies from both industries, this paper shows firms both within and outside RDA cluster definitions display a remarkably similar range of behavioural characteristics. Yet, based on weakly defined cluster policy, one industry enjoys considerably more policy support than the other. The paper begins to question the logic of RDA cluster policy and to ask whether a more sophisticated and locally sympathetic manner of visualising clusters and business behaviour rather than an emphasis on employment numbers would have a greater impact for policy.     

城市主导产业识别及其空间集聚研究——以宁波市为例

城市主导产业是城市产业结构升级、经济格局优化的核心。为有效识别城市主导产业，构建基于产业波及效应、产业增长潜力及区域比较优势的主导产业识别方法，并采用TOPSIS方法判断各主导产业主导性大小。针对识别出的主导产业，采用核密度及标准差椭圆方法对其产业集聚进行研究。以宁波市为例，识别出3个主导产业门类，按其主导性排序为工业、交通运输/仓储和邮政业、商务服务业。进一步对主导性最强的工业展开分析，识别出5个工业细分行业主导产业，其排序为汽车制造业、化学原料和化学制品制造业、电气机械和器材制造业、有色金属冶炼和压延加工业、仪器仪表制造业。产业集聚分析结果显示：交通运输/仓储和邮政业、商务服务业主要在宁波市主城区范围内集聚分布；5个工业细分行业主导产业主要在宁波市中部主城区及北部余姚、慈溪两个县级市范围内集聚分布。     

生产性服务业与制造业协调发展与演化

理论推导验证生产性服务投入制造业的溢出效应,运用面板数据模型对生产性服务业和制造业耦合协调度的调节作用进行实证检验,并利用SIENA方法探索产业部门关联网络中节点互动的特质、协调发展的影响因素,发现了网络演化的机制.在产业耦合协调方面,制造业与生产性服务业的耦合度和耦合协调度对经济增长有正向调节作用,即双方的耦合协调带动生产性服务对制造业的溢出效应.在产业关联网络演化方面,产品部门之间的技术邻近性与市场邻近性促进联系的建立,开放度较高的产品部门更能够与其他部门建立联系.为了实现生产性服务业对制造业的促进作用,应鼓励跨领域合作,加强重点行业开放,推动生产性服务业和制造业进一步融合.     

A multivariate analysis of DISC election decision

Conclusion This study found that the decision by management to establish a DISC unit may not be satisfactorily identified by the examination of the financial data on either anex ante orex post basis. However, examination of the responses to the questionnaires indicate differences in the perceptions of the management of the two groups are significantly different on a multivariate basis.A possible implication of this research effort is that the use of published financial data alone cannot adequately explain decisions made by management. Indeed, unless management's expectations are realized, use of published data alone may result in unwarranted conclusions.     

Patterns of industrial specialisation in post-Unification Italy

This paper investigates the main patterns of industrial specialisation in Italian provinces over half a century following the Unification of the country. To this end, we propose a multivariate graphical technique named dynamic specialisation biplot. In 1871, specialisation vocations towards the different manufacturing sectors were limited in size and no clear geographical clustering emerged. A regional specialisation divide resulted instead clearly in 1911. In 1871 as in 1911, the foodstuffs, textile and engineering sectors represented the three pillars delimiting the arena of the specialisation race. Within that arena, the effect of public policies on the temporal evolution of provincial specialisation is considered. The adoption of free trade in the early 1860s affected noticeably the industrial specialisation of a few Neapolitan provinces. The subsequent protectionist measures altered the specialisation trajectories of selected northern provinces, largely attracted by the textile sector during the 1880s, and by the rapidly growing engineering sector in the pre-First World War decade. Within and between regional homogeneity and smooth specialisation, trajectories are instead representative of most of the remaining provinces. Among them, southern provinces exhibit specialisation paths revealing that little more than a composition effect occurred among manufacturing sectors.     

工业机器人应用对制造业就业的影响--基于中国地级市数据的实证研究

利用2013-2017年中国286个地级市的面板数据实证研究发现,工业机器人应用对中国制造业就业总量存在显著的负影响,工业机器人渗透度提升1单位将导致制造业就业总量下降3.35个百分点。针对影响制造业就业结构的实证研究发现,工业机器人应用对东部、西部地区有显著的负影响,对中部和东北地区的影响不显著,对制造业细分行业、低技能劳动者和男、女劳动者就业均存在普遍的负影响,对高技能劳动者就业存在正向影响,但不显著。深入研究后发现,工业机器人替代不是导致制造业就业下降的根本原因,而是对制造业就业岗位的补充与延伸。政府在制定针对智能制造的产业政策时,应根据地方制造业劳动供给与企业生产需求进行灵活安排。     

A Re-Examination of Financial Analysts' Differential Earnings Forecast Accuracy*

Abstract. This research re-examines whether there are differences in the forecast accuracy of financial analysts through a comparison of their annual earnings per share forecasts. The comparison of analyst forecast accuracy is made on both an ex post (within sample) and an ex ante (out of sample) basis. Early examinations of this issue by Richards (1976), Brown and Rozeff (1980), O'Brien (1987), Coggin and Hunter (1989), O'Brien (1990), and Butler and Lang (1991) were ex post and suggest the absence of analysts who can provide relatively more accurate forecasts over multiple years. Contrary to the results of prior research and consistent with the belief in the popular press, we document that differences do exist in financial analysts' ex post forecast accuracy. We show that the previous studies failed to find differences in forecast accuracy due to inadequate (or no) control for differences in the recency of forecasts issued by the analysts. It has been well documented in the literature that forecast recency is positively related to forecast accuracy (Crichfield, Dyckman, and Lakonishok 1978; O'Brien 1988; Brown 1991). Thus, failure to control for forecast recency may reduce the power of tests, making it difficult to reject the null hypothesis of no differences in forecast accuracy even if they do exist. In our analysis, we control for the differences in recency of analysts' forecasts using two different approaches. First, we use an estimated generalized least squares estimation procedure that captures the recency-induced effects in the residuals of the model. Second, we use a matched-pair design whereby we measure the relative forecast accuracy of an analyst by comparing his/her forecast error to the forecast error of another randomly selected analyst making forecasts for the same firm in the same year on or around the same date. Using both approaches, we find that differential forecast accuracy does exist amongst analysts, especially in samples with minimum forecast horizons of five and 60 trading days. We show that these differences are not attributable to differences in the forecast issuance frequency of the financial analysts. In sum, after controlling for firm, year, forecast recency, and forecast issuance frequency of individual analysts, the analyst effect persists. To validate our findings, we examine whether the differences in the forecast accuracy of financial analysts persist in holdout periods. Analysts were assigned a “superior” (“inferior”) status for a firm-year in the estimation sample using percentile rankings on the distribution of absolute forecast errors for that firm-year. We use estimation samples of one- to four-year duration, and consider two different definitions of analyst forecast superiority. Analysts were classified as firm-specific “superior” if they maintained a “superior” status in every year of the estimation sample. Furthermore, they were classified as industry-specific “superior” if they were deemed firm-specific “superior” with respect to at least two firms and firm-specific “inferior” with respect to no firm in that industry. Using either definition, we find that analysts classified as “superior” in estimation samples generally remain superior in holdout periods. In contrast, we find that analysts identified as “inferior” in estimation samples do not remain inferior in holdout periods. Our results suggest that some analysts' earnings forecasts should be weighted higher than others when formulating composite earnings expectations. This suggestion is predicated on the assumption that capital markets distinguish between analysts who are ex ante superior, and that they utilize this information when formulating stock prices. Our study provides an ex ante framework for identifying those analysts who appear to be superior. When constructing weighted forecasts, a one-year estimation period should be used because we obtain the strongest results of persistence in this case.     

Performance-Based Conditionality: A European Perspective

The critique of conditionality has led to the recent emphasis on “ownership” by the recipient government. To promote ownership it has been suggested that traditional ex ante conditionality based on (promises) of policy changes be replaced by ex post conditionality in which aid is based on performance in terms of ultimate objectives. In this spirit, the European Commission has reformed its adjustment aid. This article reviews early experience with the EU initiative in four countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Madagascar and Uganda. We find a shift toward intermediate indicators, which are too distant from the final impact of the policies.     

基于投入产出视角的广东省产业结构分析

产业结构合理性影响着区域经济的可持续发展。在广东省正在进行新一轮经济结构调整的背景下,文章通过对近年广东省各产业部门影响力系数和感应度系数的计算考察了产业部门间的关联度,发现化学工业、通用设备、计算机用电子设备制造等产业在广东省的经济体系中占有非常重要的地位,对于经济体系的其他产业部门产生重要的影响,应大力发展此类产业。在此基础上文章还考察了广东省近年的产业机构演进状况,并通过比照产业部门间的关联度情况和关键部门的发展情况,对优化广东省产业结构提出了政策建议。     

比较优势动态转换与产业升级——基于中国制造业发展指标的国际比较

通过对国内外比较优势与产业升级理论的梳理,创新性地将其概括为比较优势动态转换的三条途径与产业升级的四个维度,并将二者结合起来,构建中国制造业比较优势动态转换与产业升级的理论框架,对中国制造业发展指标进行国际比较研究,得到如下结论:从垂直结构升级考察,中国制造业呈现全方位崛起的态势,完成了从低端产业向高端产业的升级;从水平结构升级考察,依据进口中间品国内配套增值率指数测算,中国制造业国内集成配套能力较强,但依据进出口中间品增值率指数测算,中国制造业在全球价值链中分工地位较低;从产业效率考察,中国制造业技术效率世界领先;而全要素生产率及其分解显示,中国制造业技术进步水平还存在较大的差距;从产业效益考察,中国制造业增加值率低下,但作为增加值构成要素的税收占比很高,中国制造业出口占总产值比重在世界排序较低,中国内需市场潜力巨大。     

The Spread of Industry: Spatial Agglomeration in Economic Development

This paper describes the spread of industry from country to country as a region grows. All industrial sectors are initially agglomerated in one country, tied together by input–output links between firms. Growth expands industry more than other sectors, bidding up wages in the country in which industry is clustered. At some point firms start to move away, and when a critical mass is reached industry expands into another country, raising wages there. We establish the circumstances in which industry spills over, which sectors move out first, and which are more important in triggering a critical mass.J. Japan. Int. Econ., December 1996,10(4), pp. 440–464. Centre for Economic Performance, London School of Economics; and London School of Economics and Centre for Economic Policy Research.     

苏州市制造业与物流业联动发展对策研究

苏州正处于产业转型阶段,制造业的发展急需物流业提供有力支撑。但制造业物流外包意愿不足和物流业专业化供给有限,使得物流业和制造业联动发展程度较低。文章通过对苏州市制造和物流企业的联动现状分析,提出了鼓励物流外包,提升供给质量,发展战略关系,建立诚信体系和加快人才培养等促进两业联动的政策建议。