Labor productivity and technology heterogeneity

This paper investigates the role of technology club heterogeneity in economic growth and convergence. To do so, we break up labor productivity change into three factors – efficiency, technological, and capital–labor ratio changes – while distinguishing the impact of technology club heterogeneity respectively. This allows us to observe what is happening within and between clubs; as well as between the world and club technologies. Our labor productivity decomposition is nonparametric in nature and thus overcomes the issue of specifying functional forms for the club technologies. Our results reveal the existence of technology heterogeneity and divergence: the world technology is defined by advanced and rich countries; there exists intra-convergence phenomena (mostly due to capital–labor ratio change), but inter-convergences (owning to capital–labor ratio and technological changes) are not found. Finally, we argue that follower and marginalized countries have adopted imitating strategies, but with respect to different dimensions, namely technological change or capital–labor ratio.     

Convergence of the performance of microfinance institutions: A decomposition analysis

In this paper, we focus on investigating whether and to what extent patterns of performance microfinance institutions converge over time. In particular, we analyze whether patterns of performance are related to changes in operating efficiency, capital deepening, and/or technological change for a large international sample of microfinance institutions for the period 2003–2012. We apply intertemporal Data Envelopment Analysis, a methodology that has been used extensively in the literature explaining patterns of economic growth, but has not been applied yet in microfinance research. We decompose performance changes into operating efficiency changes, changes in capital intensity and/or technological change and find that capital deepening is the most important source of improved performance, especially during the first half, while capital deepening and technological innovations are important during the second half of the period. We also find strong evidence for convergence of performance between microfinance institutions. These trends concur with important changes in microfinance, such as increased commercialization, competition with commercial banks, and involvement of private investors.     

Financial crisis and hotels’ labour productivity growth: evidence from Spanish islands

The article examines hotels’ labour productivity growth over the period of financial crisis. We decompose hotels’ labour productivity into three components: technological change, technological catch-up (efficiency improvement/convergence) and capital deepening. Specifically, we apply our analysis over a sample of 820 Spanish hotels from Balearic and Canary Islands distinguishing three different stages during the crisis period. The results suggest that average terms hotels’ labour productivity was resistant to the financial crisis.     

Sources of energy productivity growth and its distribution dynamics in China

The purposes of this paper are to determine the sources of energy productivity growth at the provincial level in China and to examine the relative contributions of the sources and their impacts on regional inequality. Energy productivity change is first decomposed into five components attributable to changes in capital–energy ratio, labor–energy ratio, output structure, and technical efficiency change and technological change. Then a nonparametric analysis is implemented to statistically test the relative contributions of the components and their roles in the distribution dynamics of energy productivity. It is found that (1) changes in capital–energy ratio, output structure, and technological change contribute to energy productivity growth in China, (2) increase in capital–energy ratio caused by capital accumulation is the primary driving force for energy productivity growth, and (3) capital accumulation contributes to energy productivity convergence between Chinese provinces over the time period of 1990–2005.     

技术效率、资本深化与地区差异——基于随机前沿模型的中国地区收敛分析

本文提出了基于随机前沿生产函数的地区增长差异分析框架,将各地区劳均产出差距分解为劳均资本差异、经济规模差异和全要素生产率差异三个部分。利用改革时期的省级数据,本文发现尽管要素投入仍然是中国经济增长的主要源泉,但全要素生产率是造成地区差异的重要原因,在地区劳均产出差异中的贡献份额不断提高,将成为今后中国地区增长差异的主要决定力量。而且,1990年以来中国地区全要素生产率呈现出绝对发散趋势,严重的技术扩散壁垒加剧了体制转轨过程中的“马太效应”,短期内地区差距不会随经济发展而缩小,政府需要通过适当的政策对地区发展进行调节,尤其要促进地区间技术扩散,使各地区更好地分享技术创新和体制创新的成果。     

金融发展、投资扩张模式与中国的资本回报率*

本文从理论上分析了金融发展对资本回报率的影响机理，并使用中国省际数据进行了实证验证，得出的主要结论有：中国的资本回报率由2008年之前的平稳期进入到大幅度下降期，但区域间趋同趋势明显；中国金融发展不足与发展过度问题并存，其对资本回报率的影响也因地区不同而出现了明显差异，在投资扩张系数较高的地区存在着“金融失效”现象，在投资扩张系数较低的地区存在着“金融诅咒”现象，在投资扩张系数居中的地区存在着“结构失调”现象；政府干预会加剧金融发展的不利影响，但该作用在不断减弱；资本积累对技术进步促进作用的缺失，是资本存量对资本回报率产生负向影响的重要原因；劳动力增强型技术进步不仅促进了资本回报率的提升，还延续了投资驱动型增长的时期；技术进步是中国资本回报率提升的重要动力。     

人民币汇率变动对多国经济增长和产业结构影响的地缘经济分析

将全世界划分为10个国家(或地区),在全球经济一般均衡框架下,模拟并分析了不同汇率情景下各国和地区的经济增长和产业结构的变化。模拟结果显示:中国的GDP将于2035年超过美国;人民币升值会导致中国的GDP增速放缓,而对其他国家的GDP增长有促进作用;人民币贬值有利于中国GDP的增长,但不利于其他国家GDP的增长;人民币升值后,中国农业、轻工业和建筑业的比重下降,食品加工业、能源业、化学工业和重工业的比重上升,而印度和俄罗斯与中国在地缘经济上是竞争关系,欧美国家与中国在地缘经济上是合作关系,因此印度和俄罗斯的产业结构变化与中国大致相反,而欧美国家的产业结构变化趋势与中国类似。     

Spatial analysis of change trend and influencing factors of total factor productivity in China’s regional construction industry

Total factor productivity (TFP) is a measure of long-term economic growth and a comprehensive industry-level productivity measure. There are large gaps in China’s regional construction industry development due to unbalanced regional economy. Based on TFP measurement, this article puts forward a two-hierarchical analysis framework with coefficient of variation, Moran scatterplot and coefficient of convergence to analyse change trend of the construction industry TFP in three major regions in terms of spatial diversity, correlation and convergence. Then, the geographically weighted regression model is utilized to explore the influencing mechanism on the TFP. The results indicate the differences of the regional construction industry TFP are enlarging. There is obvious spatial correlation and heterogeneity in the regional TFP without a relatively stable space pattern. The TFP also exhibits convergence effects among three major regions. The construction industry productivity in all regions is significantly affected by economic environment, industrial organization structure and technological level. Industrial organization structure exerts the various influences on the productivity in different regions.     

技术进步、结构变迁与中国铁路运输业生产率增长——基于Hicks-Moorsteen生产率指数的实证分析

利用具有完全可乘性的非参数Hi cks-Moorst een生产率指数,对中国铁路运输业在1 997-201 0年期间的全要素生产率进行测算和分解,并对区域铁路运输业生产率进行绝对收敛检验。研究发现,平稳快速的技术进步是样本期间内中国铁路运输业全要素生产率快速增长的主要原因,而投入产出混合效率的下降则是各时段某些地区综合效率下降的重要因素;全国及三大地区的铁路运输业生产率在统计上均存在着显著的绝对收敛。此外,还应用面板计量模型实证检验了结构变迁、资本深化和引致需求等诸多因素对于铁路运输业全要素生产率、技术进步以及效率变动的相关影响。研究发现,产业经济结构和铁路运输内部结构分别与铁路运输业生产率之间存在显著的正相关和负相关关系;资本深化程度则呈现出显著的负向影响;各种引致需求因素和铁路路网密度均呈现出显著的正向影响;国有铁路所占比例与公路设施等替代竞争因素则均呈现出不同程度的负相关影响。     

人力资本与中国区域农业全要素生产率增长——基于DEA视角的实证分析

文章在考虑人力资本要素和技术非效率的前提下,使用非参数的DEA曼奎斯特生产率指数方法,对1988-2006年中国区域农业全要素生产率增长进行估计和测算,通过将其分解为技术进步、纯技术效率变化和规模效率变化三部分,来寻找农业TFP增长的源泉.实证表明,1988-2006年中国农业TFP增长较为显著,大致可以分为四个阶段,其对农业增长的贡献基本上是顺周期的,各个省区的TFP增长差异性则较为明显.从其内部构成来看,TFP增长主要由技术进步贡献,技术效率改善的作用则很有限.另外,是否考虑人力资本要素对农业增长的作用,会对TFP的估计产生较大影响.文章最终认为,应努力通过制度创新来消除农业技术扩散的各种制度性障碍,实现农业技术进步和技术效率增进共同推动农业TFP增长.     

追赶战略、人力资本及地区经济增长趋同——基于教育效率的水平创新模型的实证分析

文章基于一个教育效率的水平创新模型分析了落后地区对发达地区的人力资本与经济发展战略问题,指出人力资本是影响技术吸收与创新能力的主要因素。通常所言的静态比较优势战略无法改变落后地区在人力资本上的比较劣势,因而落后地区也就无法发挥所谓的后发优势进而实现与发达地区间的经济收敛。而只有基于教育质量与人力资本积累效率的提高,实行人力资本的动态比较优势战略或追赶战略才能让落后地区提高学习效率,真正发挥后发优势实现经济赶超。最后文章以中国为例验证了这一结论并简要提出了促进落后地区经济快速增长的政策建议。     

技术进步的“体现观”与技术收敛测度指标构建

技术进步在经济增长与区域经济协调发展中的动力作用一直是人们关注的话题。区域间技术收敛是实现区域间经济收敛的必要条件。文章从经济增长理论中技术进步的分类出发,剖析了外生与内生、体现式与非体现式、资本偏向和劳动偏向等概念之间的关系,进一步给出了技术收敛的测度指标体系。文章认为,当前关于技术内生和外生的研究并没有与技术进步的"体现观"结合起来。新古典增长理论中所指的技术进步主要是非体现式的技术进步。内生增长理论中的体现式技术进步主要是体现在资本或劳动力中的技术进步。所以,技术收敛的分析应该在经济收敛分析方法的基础上,充分考虑体现在资本和劳动力中的技术和没有体现在要素中的技术,建立相应的测度指标体系。这种测度技术收敛的方法与一般性的技术收敛测度相比具有明显的优点,对相关的产业技术政策、人力资本流动政策以及产业转移等政策的制定具有重要的指导意义。     

我国区域经济增长收敛的计量分析

本文利用区域面板数据,对1979--2006年我国区域经济增长的收敛性进行了计量分析。研究结果表明,改革开放以来我国区域经济增长不存在绝对收敛趋势,但东、中、西部三大经济带基本上存在收敛趋势,形成了所谓的“收敛俱乐部”现象;在条件收敛回归中,如果控制了投资率、人力资本水平、非国有化水平、对外开放度、基础设施水平和产业结构等经济变量,我国区域经济增长则呈现显著的条件收敛。     

储蓄倾向差异、要素收入分配 和我国产业结构升级*

高储蓄率、要素收入分配不平等和产业结构升级是我国经济增长过程中三个典型事实。本文构建一个非平衡增长模型表明这三者是一个自洽的系统,存在相互制约和矫正关系。在我国劳动收入和资本收入的储蓄倾向不同与劳动收入占比较低的背景下,高储蓄会出现两个相反地影响产业结构的动力。一方面,高储蓄转化的高投资更多体现为工业品,阻碍了服务业发展,同时,高储蓄导致的低消费使得恩格尔效应无法发挥作用,阻碍了产业结构升级;另一方面,高储蓄导致高投资,推动了资本深化,这又促进了产业结构升级。产业结构变迁又反过来影响社会储蓄率和要素收入分配。文章证明这个系统存在一个广义平衡增长路径。     

Can the augmented Solow model explain China’s remarkable economic growth? A cross-country panel data analysis

China’s economy grew at an average annual rate of 9% over the last three decades. Despite the vast empirical literature on testing the neoclassical model of economic growth using data on various groups of countries, very few cross-country regressions include China and none of them particularly focuses on the explanation of China’s remarkable economic growth. We attempt to fill this gap by utilising panel data on 146 countries over the period 1980–2004 to examine the extent to which the rapid growth of China and the huge gap in the growth rate between China and other countries can be explained by the augmented Solow model. Using system GMM estimation techniques, we find that, in spite of the restrictive assumptions involved, the Solow model augmented by both human capital and structural change provides a fairly good account of international variation in economic growth. In particular, China’s relative success in economic growth is due to high physical capital investment, conditional convergence gain, dramatic changes in the structure of employment and output, and low population growth.     

中国区域经济趋同的空间异质性研究——来自空间杜宾分位数面板回归的证据

中国区域经济增长是否存在趋同,已有的实证文献在很大程度上忽视了趋同速率的空间异质性。本文基于新古典经济增长理论,构建空间杜宾面板分位数模型,考察了中国336个地级市经济增长趋同的空间异质性。研究表明,中国各地市经济增长总体上呈趋同状态,趋同速率随分位点增大呈U型。考虑资本在区域间自由流动,中低增长地区储蓄率作用显著降低。高增长地区受到周边经济带动作用小于中低增长地区,因而高增长地区的趋同速率更大。进一步分析发现,南、北方地区,东、西部地区均表现出俱乐部趋同特征,而中部地区内部表现出分异态势,即高增长地区发散,低增长地区趋同的特征。识别区域经济增长的空间异质性,对于政府更好地实施区域协调发展战略,缩小区域经济差异非常重要。     

中国区域绿色全要素生产率增长差异及收敛分析

文章利用熵值法拟合环境污染综合指数,将其作为经济的非理想产出纳入非参数DEA-Malmquist指数模型,测度了1995-2008年中国29个省份的绿色Malmquist指数,并在此基础上分析了我国的绿色Malmquist指数、绿色技术效率和绿色技术进步率对区域经济增长差距的影响及其时间演化趋势。研究表明:样本期内,我国的环境污染日益严重;考虑环境污染因素后,中国的全要素生产率增长率显著下调,技术进步率的差异是地区经济增长差距的主要原因;我国的绿色Malmquist指数整体上不存在绝对收敛趋势,只有东部地区呈现较典型的俱乐部收敛特征;在控制投资率、从业人员增长率与环境治理力度后,各地区均表现出条件收敛趋势。     

Technological change,efficiency gains and capital accumulation in labour productivity growth and convergence: an application to the Spanish regions

The main objective of this article is to analyse labour productivity growth and convergence in the Spanish regions between 1965 and 1995, decomposing total factor productivity gains into technological progress and efficiency change by means of Malmquist productivity indices. On the basis of this decomposition, labour productivity growth is broken down into components attributable to technological change (shifts in the frontier), efficiency gains (movements toward the frontier) and capital accumulation (movements along the frontier). The approach followed in this study is based on work initiated by Färe et al., where a link between the economic growth and convergence literature and the production frontier approach was established. Furthermore, in the spirit of Quah's approach, the evolution of the whole distribution is considered. Thus, the analysis of the dynamics of the entire distribution of labour productivity and the factors behind it – technological progress, efficiency gains and capital accumulation – combine both approaches, yielding new insights into the process of productivity growth and convergence experienced by the Spanish regions over the last 30 years.     

我国工业增长模式及其转型机制研究——基于23个省份1998-2007年工业的实证研究

文章以我国23个省份1998-2007年工业为研究对象,采用环境和能源约束下的前沿生产模型分析了我国工业增长模式及转型机制,结果表明:(1)省级人均产出的增长差异导致区域工业产出水平差距扩大,并使省级人均产出分布函数由1998年的单峰分布演进为2007年的双峰分布。相比于1998年,省级人均产出变异系数由0.3356上升至0.3487,技术效率变异系数由0.2961下降至0.2862。(2)13个省份技术进步对产出增长的贡献最大,9个省份要素投入深化对产出增长的贡献最大。(3)资本投入和能源消耗显著促进了产出增长,而二氧化硫排放显著阻碍了产出增长。资本投入、能源消耗和二氧化硫排放均显著阻碍了技术效率水平的提高。资本投入、能源消耗和二氧化硫排放均对要素投入深化效应有显著正向影响。     

印度风险投资中的政府角色及其对中国的启示

中国和印度同属于发展中国家,从某种意义上讲,两国在环境资源方面具有很大的可比性,两国在经济自由度方面,特别是在法律结构与产权保护、货币政策合理性及管制三方面自由度很接近。本文介绍了印度政府在其风险投资业发展的三个阶段中扮演的角色,总结了印度在风险投资业发展过程中的成功经验,分析了在财政、税收、参股及引进外资等方面值得中国政府借鉴之处。