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Distributing the Gains from Waterfront Productivity Improvements

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  • DENIS LAWRENCE
  • ANYA RICHARDS

Abstract

Despite significant increases in waterfront productivity in recent years, waterfront users have complained that reductions in charges have been insufficient. This paper applies an indexing method that allows us to construct ‘what‐if’ scenarios where the contribution of productivity, price changes and changes in firm size to stevedore profitability can clearly be seen. We then calculate the distribution of the benefits of productivity improvements between customers, labour and shareholders. We find that the direct purchasers of stevedoring services have reaped gains from waterfront reform over the past five years, receiving around 67 per cent of the available ‘productivity dividend’ in the form of lower real stevedoring prices.

Suggested Citation

  • Denis Lawrence & Anya Richards, 2004. "Distributing the Gains from Waterfront Productivity Improvements," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 80(s1), pages 43-52, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ecorec:v:80:y:2004:i:s1:p:s43-s52
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1475-4932.2004.00183.x
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    Cited by:

    1. Antonio Estache & Emili Grifell-Tatjé, 2010. "Assessing the impact of Mali's water privatization across stakeholders," Working Papers ECARES ECARES 2010-037, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    2. E. Grifell-Tatjé & C. Lovell, 2008. "Productivity at the post: its drivers and its distribution," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 33(2), pages 133-158, April.
    3. Denis A. Lawrence & Gert Van Der Westhuizen, 2008. "Measuring The Allocation Of Eskom'S Productivity Dividend1," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 76(3), pages 537-547, September.
    4. Bichou, Khalid, 2006. "Chapter 24 Review of Port Performance Approaches and a Supply Chain Framework to Port Performance Benchmarking," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 17(1), pages 567-598, January.

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