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Das (Wasted) Kapital: Firm Ownership and Investment Efficiency in China

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Author Info
David Dollar
Shang-Jin Wei

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Abstract

Based on a survey that we designed and that covers a stratified random sample of 12,400 firms in 120 cities in China with firm-level accounting information for 2002-2004, this paper examines the presence of systematic distortions in capital allocation that result in uneven marginal returns to capital across firm ownership, regions, and sectors. It provides a systematic comparison of investment efficiency among wholly and partially state-owned, wholly and partially foreignowned, and domestic privately owned firms, conditioning on their sector, location, and size characteristics. It finds that even after a quarter-of-century of reforms, state-owned firms still have significantly lower returns to capital, on average, than domestic private or foreign-owned firms. Similarly, certain regions and sectors have consistently lower returns to capital than other regions and sectors. By our calculation, if China succeeds in allocating its capital more efficiently, it could reduce its investment intensity by 5 percent of GDP without sacrificing its economic growth (and hence deliver a greater improvement to its citizens' living standard).

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Paper provided by International Monetary Fund in its series IMF Working Papers with number 07/9.

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Length: 38 pages
Date of creation: 18 Jan 2007
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Handle: RePEc:imf:imfwpa:07/9

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Keywords: Capital ; China ; Financial systems ; Investment ; Industry ; Resource allocation ; Economic reforms ;

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This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports: References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Wendy Dobson & Anil K Kashyap, 2006. "The Contradiction in China’s Gradualist Banking Reforms," Working Papers Series 08, Rotman Institute for International Business, Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. [Downloadable!]
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  2. Chong-En Bai & Chang-Tai Hsieh & Yingyi Qian, 2006. "The Return to Capital in China," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 37(2006-2), pages 61-102. [Downloadable!]
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  3. Kui-Wai Li, 2003. "China's Capital and Productivity Measurement Using Financial Resources," Working Papers 851, Economic Growth Center, Yale University. [Downloadable!]
  4. Franklin Allen & Jun Qian & Meijun Qian, 2002. "Law, Finance, and Economic Growth in China," Center for Financial Institutions Working Papers 02-44, Wharton School Center for Financial Institutions, University of Pennsylvania. [Downloadable!]
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  5. Park, Albert & Sehrt, Kaja, 2001. "Tests of Financial Intermediation and Banking Reform in China," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 29(4), pages 608-644, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  6. Boyreau-Debray, Genevieve & Wei, Shang-Jin, 2004. "Pitfalls of a State-Dominated Financial System: The Case of China," CEPR Discussion Papers 4471, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Jérôme Héricourt & Sandra Poncet, 2007. "FDI and credit constraints : firm level evidence in China," Documents de travail du Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne bla07009, Université Panthéon-Sorbonne (Paris 1), Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne. [Downloadable!]
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  2. Eswar S. Prasad, 2007. "Is the Chinese Growth Miracle Built to Last?," IZA Discussion Papers 2995, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
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  3. Du, Jun & Girma, Sourafel, 2009. "Source of Finance, Growth and Firm Size ? Evidence from China," Working Papers UNU-WIDER Research Paper , World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER). [Downloadable!]
  4. Panicos O. Demetriades & Jun Du & Sourafel Girma & Chenggang Xu, 2008. "Does the Chinese Banking System Promote the Growth of Firms?," Discussion Papers in Economics 08/6, Department of Economics, University of Leicester. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  5. Wendy Dobson & Anil K Kashyap, 2006. "The Contradiction in China’s Gradualist Banking Reforms," Working Papers Series 08, Rotman Institute for International Business, Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
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