IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/cup/nierev/v223y2013ipr49-r60_14.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Cost Competitiveness Comparisons and Convergence in China

Author

Listed:
  • Kang, Lili
  • Fei, Peng

Abstract

We investigate trends in regional cost competitiveness in China's four regions (Coastal, Northeast, Interior and West) over the past thirty-five years. We find that the Coastal region lost its initial cost competitiveness as its higher relative labour productivity (RLP) was offset by rapidly rising relative nominal labour costs (RNLC) due to rising wages. The Northeastern region still has cost advantages in the traditional Manufacturing sector. The Interior and West regions improved their competitiveness in most industries due to low RNLCs. There is convergence of relative unit labour cost (RULC) in all industries before 1995, but only in Finance after 1995. However there is convergence in RLP in five industries in 1978–95 and 1995–2009, offering prospects for robust growth for China into the future.

Suggested Citation

  • Kang, Lili & Fei, Peng, 2013. "Cost Competitiveness Comparisons and Convergence in China," National Institute Economic Review, National Institute of Economic and Social Research, vol. 223, pages 49-60, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:nierev:v:223:y:2013:i::p:r49-r60_14
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S002795010000082X/type/journal_article
    File Function: link to article abstract page
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Fleisher, Belton & Li, Haizheng & Zhao, Min Qiang, 2010. "Human capital, economic growth, and regional inequality in China," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(2), pages 215-231, July.
    2. Szirmai, Adam & Ren, Ruoen & Bai, Manyin, 2005. "Chinese Manufacturing Performance in Comparative Perspective, 1980-2002," Center Discussion Papers 28525, Yale University, Economic Growth Center.
    3. Ark, Bart van & Stuivenwold, Edwin & Ypma, Gerard, 2005. "Unit labour costs, productivity and international competitiveness," GGDC Research Memorandum 200580, Groningen Growth and Development Centre, University of Groningen.
    4. W. Michael Cox & Jahyeong Koo, 2003. "China: awakening giant," Monograph, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, number 2003a.
    5. Vivian W. Chen & Harry X. Wu & Bart Van Ark, 2009. "More Costly Or More Productive? Measuring Changes In Competitiveness In Manufacturing Across Regions In China," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 55(s1), pages 514-537, July.
    6. Michael Peneder, 2009. "Sectoral Growth Drivers and Competitiveness in the European Union," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 57710, January.
    7. repec:dgr:rugggd:200580 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Appleton, Simon & Knight, John & Song, Lina & Xia, Qingjie, 2002. "Labor retrenchment in China: Determinants and consequences," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 13(2-3), pages 252-275.
    9. van Ark, Bart, 1998. "Productivity," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 12(2), pages 171-174, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Lili Kang & Fei Peng, 2018. "Economic Reform and Productivity Convergence in China," Arthaniti: Journal of Economic Theory and Practice, , vol. 17(1), pages 50-82, June.
    2. Françoise Lemoine & Grégoire Mayo & Sandra Poncet & Deniz Ünal, 2014. "The Geographic Pattern of China's Growth and Convergence within Industry," Working Papers 2014-04, CEPII research center.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Janet Ceglowski & Stephen S. Golub, 2012. "Does China Still Have a Labor Cost Advantage?," Global Economy Journal (GEJ), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 12(3), pages 1-30, August.
    2. Huanlang He & Zhihao Yu, 2015. "The evolving patterns of global production of multi‐product firms," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 48(3), pages 1175-1194, August.
    3. Lili Kang & Fei Peng, 2018. "Economic Reform and Productivity Convergence in China," Arthaniti: Journal of Economic Theory and Practice, , vol. 17(1), pages 50-82, June.
    4. Bart Van Ark & Abdul Azeez Erumban & Vivian Chen & Utsav Kumar, 2008. "The Cost Competitiveness of Manufacturing in China and India - An Industry and Regional Perspective," Macroeconomics Working Papers 22268, East Asian Bureau of Economic Research.
    5. Fleisher, Belton & Li, Haizheng & Zhao, Min Qiang, 2010. "Human capital, economic growth, and regional inequality in China," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(2), pages 215-231, July.
    6. Qing Li & Long Hai Vo, 2021. "Intangible Capital and Innovation: An Empirical Analysis of Vietnamese Enterprises," Economics Discussion / Working Papers 21-02, The University of Western Australia, Department of Economics.
    7. Yao Zhao & Xuena Kong & Mahmood Ahmad & Zahoor Ahmed, 2023. "Digital Economy, Industrial Structure, and Environmental Quality: Assessing the Roles of Educational Investment, Green Innovation, and Economic Globalization," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-24, January.
    8. Luigi Aldieri & Concetto Paolo Vinci, 2019. "Firm Size and Sustainable Innovation: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-9, May.
    9. Appleton, Simon & Song, Lina & Xia, Qingjie, 2005. "Has China crossed the river? The evolution of wage structure in urban China during reform and retrenchment," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 644-663, December.
    10. Jing Li & Tsun Se Cheong & Jianfa Shen & Dahai Fu, 2019. "Urbanization And Rural–Urban Consumption Disparity: Evidence From China," The Singapore Economic Review (SER), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 64(04), pages 983-996, September.
    11. Zhou, Yixiao & Tyers, Rod, 2019. "Automation and inequality in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    12. Simon Appleton & John Knight & Lina Song & Qingjie Xia, 2009. "The Economics of Communist Party Membership: The Curious Case of Rising Numbers and Wage Premium during China's Transition," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(2), pages 256-275.
    13. Anping Chen & Nicolaas Groenewold, 2017. "An increase in the retirement age in China: the regional economic effects," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(7), pages 702-721, February.
    14. Andrea Pontiggia & Lala Hu & Marco Savorgnan, 2013. "ChinaÕs Human Resources Development: Recent Evolution and Implications for the Global Market," Working Papers 29, Department of Management, Università Ca' Foscari Venezia.
    15. Felix Roth & Anna-Elisabeth Thum, 2022. "Intangible Capital and Labor Productivity Growth: Panel Evidence for the EU from 1998–2005," Contributions to Economics, in: Intangible Capital and Growth, chapter 0, pages 101-128, Springer.
    16. Zhang, Xiaobei & Wang, Xiaojun, 2021. "Measures of human capital and the mechanics of economic growth," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    17. Fleisher, Belton M. & Sabirianova, Klara & Wang, Xiaojun, 2005. "Returns to skills and the speed of reforms: Evidence from Central and Eastern Europe, China, and Russia," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 351-370, June.
    18. Steven B. Kamin & Mario Marazzi & John W. Schindler, 2004. "Is China \"exporting deflation\"?," International Finance Discussion Papers 791, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    19. Yong He & Hong Zhou, 2011. "Estimating Chinese Interprovincial OutPut Spillovers with Provincial Input-Output Tables," CERDI Working papers halshs-00553102, HAL.
    20. Daniela Smiraglia & Luca Salvati & Gianluca Egidi & Rosanna Salvia & Antonio Giménez-Morera & Rares Halbac-Cotoara-Zamfir, 2021. "Toward a New Urban Cycle? A Closer Look to Sprawl, Demographic Transitions and the Environment in Europe," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-14, January.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J30 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - General
    • R58 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Regional Government Analysis - - - Regional Development Planning and Policy

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:cup:nierev:v:223:y:2013:i::p:r49-r60_14. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Kirk Stebbing (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/niesruk.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.