Firm Efficiency in Cambodia's Garment Industry on the Eve of the Multi‐Fiber Arrangement Termination

Applying a frontier analysis to 2004 firm‐level data, the present paper investigates firm efficiency and its determinants for Cambodia's garment industry. The study finds that firm experience and remuneration are crucial for improving scale efficiency and overall technical efficiency, while effective use of capital and adequate labor‐skill development are important for enhancing a firm's technical capabilities. Foreign‐owned enterprises with a relatively larger share of foreign labor outperform local firms. However, the present study does not reveal evidence of any advantages of a cluster‐type concentration in Phnom Penh and export markets, nor of any positive impacts of product specialization. The findings imply a need to support skill development for workers and local managers at the middle management level, and to streamline foreign direct investment measures to attract greater numbers of efficient foreign enterprises, so as to promote the development of the garment industry as a whole.     

Impediments to Promoting Backward Linkages from the Garment Industry in Sri Lanka

The slow growth of backward linkages from the garment industries (export-oriented) in developing countries and the policy merits of promoting these linkages have considerable contemporary relevance. Backward linkages are useful particularly for a garment industry to reduce the lead time and remain competitive in the international market. Local suppliers to the garment industry cannot function however unless conditions exist which allow them to be competitive. Furthermore, in a world where multinational garment-buying firms are dominant, a large import dependence in the garment industry does not necessarily imply that there are many opportunities to create local supplies and thereby create backward linkages. These factors are shown from the Sri Lankan attempts to promote backward linkages from the garment industry. It is argued that formation of backward linkages in the garment industry that operate in an open economy such as Sri Lanka is a natural outcome of industrial deepening and therefore will be time dependent. It is noted that even with less backward linkages, the garment industry in Sri Lanka has contributed significantly to foreign exchange earnings and employment creation in the country.     

Agglomeration effects of inter-firm backward and forward linkages: Evidence from Japanese manufacturing investment in China

This paper examines the agglomeration effects of multinational firms on the location decisions of first-time Japanese manufacturing investors in China for the period 1995–2007. This is accomplished by exploiting newly constructed measures of inter-firm backward and forward linkages formed in a home country. The conditional and mixed logit estimates reveal that agglomeration by first-tier suppliers and customers draws subsequent investment into a location. However, such agglomeration effects are not pervasive and do not extend to the second and third tiers. Instead, we find that agglomeration by third-tier suppliers generates a countervailing force, making a location relatively unattractive.     

Vertical linkages and multinational enterprises in developing countries

Many studies have concluded that multinational firms do not create significant technical and other vertical linkages in developing host countries. This case study of three multinational firms in the export-oriented electronics industry in Singapore shows that under certain conditions multinational firms can lead in creating local vertical linkages. It suggests that restrictive government policies to increase local purchases may not be necessary, effective or desirable in promoting local linkages by export-oriented multinational firms that respond primarily to international market conditions. The Singapore experience poinst to the importance of a healthy investment climate and rapid economic growth in encouraging multinational firms to forge local linkages.     

Productivity Growth in Different Plant‐size Groups in the Malaysian Manufacturing Sector*

In the present study, we develop a stochastic frontier production model that allows for different groups of firms to have different patterns of technical efficiency over time. We apply our model to the Malaysian manufacturing sector to decompose total factor productivity growth into technical efficiency change and technical progress for different plant size groups (e.g. large and small) in seven industries during 2000–2004. Our empirical results indicate that technical efficiency has worsened across all industries and plant‐size groups. In contrast, we find evidence of substantial technical progress in all industries. In fact, technical progress has been larger than technical efficiency deterioration in most industries and plant‐size groups, leading to total factor productivity growth. Our analysis identifies the industries and plant‐size groups that lag the most in terms of productivity, and thus have the greatest scope for policies that facilitate productivity growth.     

Life-insurance Efficiency in China： A Comparison of Foreign and Domestic Firms

The Chinese life-insurance industry has experienced major structural changes in recent years, primarily because of increasing demand and the entry of foreign insurers. Although the market is clearly booming, the efficiency of its growth and development is unclear. In this paper, we evaluate the efficiency of life insurers operating in China and compare foreign firms with domestic firms. We find that foreign insurers have not brought efficiency into the Chinese market, and that the market is still dominated by domestic giants. However, the gap between foreign insurers and domestic insurers is narrowing. After testing hypotheses regarding scale economy, technical progress andpotential improvements, we discuss several issues＇ of importance to life insurers, market investors and government regulators.     

Spillovers from agglomerations and inward FDI: a multilevel analysis on sub-Saharan African firms

This paper adopts multilevel analysis to study the agglomeration-performance nexus for domestic firms in sub-Saharan Africa. We show that contextual factors can explain up to 30 % of the variance in firms’ productivity, more than half of which depends on the geographic location. Our results show also that African firms’ productivity is positively correlated to the size of the agglomeration when they locate in larger cities specialized in different sectors, while the relation turns negative when they face direct competition from firms in the same industry. These effects are similar in the services and the manufacturing industries, even if in the latter positive spillovers are found to be conditional to the presence of backward and forward linkages with nearby firms. Finally, we are able to show that these effects are also confirmed when domestic firms locate close to foreign multinationals, especially those coming from the South.     

Regional Characteristics,Industry Agglomeration and Location Choice: Evidence from Japanese Manufacturing Investments in Korea*

Using extensive firm‐level data for the years 1998–2006, we analyze the regional location decision of Japanese manufacturing foreign direct investors in Korea by focusing on the role of agglomeration economies. Our logit estimates indicate that horizontal agglomeration matters in the location decision, but vertical agglomeration does not. Strong evidence of country‐of‐origin effects is found. Japanese foreign direct investments in high‐technology industries show a typical ‘follow‐the‐leader’ pattern, while those in the in low‐technology industries are influenced by regional endowments. In addition, Japan's high‐technology firms are likely to prefer urban locations so that they can enjoy the externalities of business services.     

Linkage Formation by Small Firms: The Case of A Rural Cluster in Indonesia

This paper analyses forward linkages formed by small firms in Ceper, a rural metal-casting cluster in Central Java, and examines the effects of these linkages in promoting the firms' development. Firms in the cluster have developed subcontracting linkages with assemblers in the urban modern sector, and putting-out linkages with wholesalers located in the cities. The linkages provide benefits beyond product sales: some firms are stimulated to improve technological capabilities through subcontracting linkages with assemblers; others are supported by trade credits embedded in linkages with wholesalers. In comparing these effects with external assistance, the firms rate technological help from private institutions with a business orientation more highly than that from assemblers, and support from wholesalers more highly than any other source of financial assistance. Government assistance receives a relatively low rating. There is little evidence of effects of clustering, partly because firms consider linkages with the outer economy more strategic.     

Impact of China's Outward Foreign Direct Investment on Its Regional Economic Growth

This paper investigates the impact of China's outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) on its economic growth. By using a provincial‐level panel dataset and applying fixed‐effects and instrumental variable regression techniques, the study finds that both OFDI from provincial firms and OFDI from state‐owned enterprises have a positive impact on China's provincial economic growth. The positive impact of OFDI on provincial economic growth may be the result of reverse knowledge spillovers from OFDI to the home provincial economy through demonstration and imitation, labor movement, and backward and forward industrial linkages, thus increasing the productivity and the efficiency of home firms and promoting the growth of the home economy.     

Firm Efficiency Differences and Distribution in the Kenyan Manufacturing Sector

Abstract: This article provides empirical evidence on technical efficiency differences and efficiency distribution for three Kenyan manufacturing subsectors, namely food, metal and textile, using an unbalanced panel data covering two periods. Econometric production frontiers are estimated for each subsector in each period. The confidence predictions for these efficiencies were, however, found to be quite wide. The results indicate variation of technical efficiency estimates of the sampled firms in each period. The technical efficiency distribution for each subsector changed not only in relation to itself, but also in relation to the other subsectors across the two periods of analysis. The efficiency distribution of the firms for both food and textile (metal) subsectors improved (declined) during the study period but with the food subsector firms remaining relatively inefficient. The improvement of the technical efficiency distribution for both the textile and food subsectors is an indication of intra‐plant improvement during the period of analysis. The decline of the technical efficiency distribution for the metal subsector suggests that the market orientation during the structural reform period did not promote firm efficiencies or the firms were slow in responding to the reforms.     

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER TO CHINA BY HONG KONG'S CROSS‐BORDER GARMENT FIRMS

Hong Kong manufacturers have historically been one of the main sources of foreign direct investment to China, but their contribution to the transfer of technology to the mainland has been questioned due to the generally labor‐ rather than capital‐intensive, low‐value‐adding activities they perform there. Using data from eighty‐four Hong Kong‐based garment manufacturers that have invested directly in mainland China, this paper examines the role of Hong Kong FDI in the transfer of technology to China. Analyses show that Hong Kong garment firms are in fact human‐capital‐intensive and are endowed with valuable managerial technology and, moreover, act as effective channels for the transfer of such technology to mainland China.     

珠江三角洲城市碳排放效率特征研究

引用非期望产出的SBM模型和ML指数分析，静态和动态结合测算了2010—2019年珠江三角洲城市群碳排放效率。研究结果表明，珠江三角洲城市群碳排放效率值有上升趋势；固定资产投入和人员投入是影响城市碳排放效率的主要原因；城市产业发展布局，在很大程度上影响城市碳排放效率，城市产业发展过快导致技术效率水平发展跟不上。     

食品企业规模竞争力与全要素生产率增长：基于产业集聚视角

利用中国31个省市2004-2010年食品业三个子行业面板数据,在产业集聚视角下对企业规模竞争力与全要素生产率增长进行了实证研究。结果发现:企业规模竞争力对食品业全要素生产率增长有促进效应,影响途径主要通过对效率改善的正面作用,技术进步效应表现出行业差异性。产业集聚有显著的效率改善效应,技术进步效应以及综合TFP效应存在行业差异。进一步研究产业集聚对企业规模竞争力生产率效应间接作用发现:产业集聚一方面更有利于中小企业效率改善,另一方面更有利于大企业获得技术进步提高。     

FDI的前后向关联和中国制造业企业生产率的提升——基于地理距离的研究

本文采用微观企业面板数据,运用投入产出表构建前后向关联指标,引入基于地理距离的空间权重矩阵,探讨FDI是否通过前后向的关联提升了中国制造业企业的生产率.研究发现,就全国范围看,FDI通过前向关联,提高了我国企业的生产率,但没有通过后向关联对企业生产率有所影响.纳入地理距离因素后,外资的前向关联技术外溢效应仍存在,但数值...     

Taxes, Agglomeration Rents and Location Decisions of Firms

The goal of this paper is to analyze the individual impact of tax rates and agglomeration rents as well as their interaction on location decisions of manufacturing firms within Belgium. Theoretically, both location determinants may weaken each other’s impact. Using a unique 10-year dataset concerning the number of newly setup manufacturing firms at the sector level for 43 Belgian districts, we show that local effective tax rates have a negative impact on location decisions. Moreover, location-specific supply-side agglomeration rents attract new firms and their impact appears to be even stronger for more spatially concentrated sectors. Finally, we show that a higher effective tax rate in a district does not necessarily deter new firms in more agglomerated districts, pointing to the existence of taxable location-specific agglomeration rents.     

产业集聚与经济高质量发展：长江经济带107个地级市例证

以2006—2016年长江经济带107个地级市数据为样本,采用面板模型考察产业集聚对长江经济带经济高质量发展的影响。研究结果表明:产业集聚在促进经济增长的同时也兼顾了环境保护,促进了长江经济带沿线地区经济发展质量的提升;技术进步是产业集聚提升长江经济带经济发展质量的主要途径,而产业集聚在促进技术效率提升方面并不显著,说明沿线地区通过产业集聚能够有效发挥经济“外部性”,并通过“竞争激励效应”促进沿线地区增强创新能力,提高经济发展质量。进一步研究发现,在长江上游地区,产业集聚能够发挥双重作用,既能促进技术进步,又能促进技术效率提升。促进长江经济带经济高质量发展,应加强沿线各地区一体化发展,充分发挥市场在资源配置中的决定性作用,促进要素自由流动,提升产业集聚水平。     

Vertical linkages and agglomeration effects in Japanese FDI in Thailand

This paper formally investigates how industrial linkages between Japanese firms in Thailand affect the inter-industry pattern of FDI. It does so in the context of a model of FDI where production is vertically integrated between the home and host economies, using a distinctive industry data set constructed from firm-level information. The econometric evidence indicates that, in addition to the factors that facilitate vertical integration (lower transport costs, lower labour cost, etc.), the opportunity to create industrial linkages or supply networks leads to additional clustering or agglomeration of FDI. J. Japanese Int. Economies 20 (2) (2006) 193–208.     

沿海地区临港产业集聚地区差异研究——基于17个港口城市面板数据

文章运用2000—2012年17个港口城市临港产业的面板数据,从空间、产业、时间三个维度,分析了三大经济圈之间及圈内临港产业集聚的动态差异,结果发现:环渤海地区唐山市的钢铁工业集聚明显,纺织服装业、石油化工业、能源产业集聚发展相对稳定;长三角地区各城市纺织服装业、装备制造业集聚度变化差异较大,产业布局处于剧烈的调整阶段,能源产业集聚发展潜力巨大;珠三角地区临港产业集聚程度普遍较高,各城市特色产业明显,广州的食品加工业和能源产业、汕头的木材加工业集聚效应突出。     

Importers,Exporters and Multinationals: Exploring the Hierarchy of International Linkages

The purpose of this paper is to empirically explore two dimensions of the firm hierarchy of international market-specific linkages, using data on Swedish manufacturing firms from 1997 to 2007. First, we investigate the productivity ordering with respect to three international linkages; importing, exporting and investing abroad. Second, we explore whether differences in the productivity ordering across industries correlates with industry and country characteristics. Our findings support a general productivity hierarchy from importing to exporting and from exporting to investing abroad, as well as from a low to a high number of linkages (measuring the complexity of firms’ international linkages). However, an industry-by-industry examination shows that the hierarchical structure is only generally upheld when it comes to the number of international linkages, while the ordering of import, export and investment linkages does not exhibit the same regularity across industries. Extending the analysis, we find that the lack of a hierarchical structure is more likely in industries focusing on larger and less distant markets.