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Differences in returns to FDI between China's coast and interior: One country, two economies?

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  • Su, Jian
  • Jefferson, Gary H.

Abstract

In principle, returns to factors of production within single economic systems should exhibit relatively uniform returns. Notwithstanding the fact that over the past 30 years China's economy has increasingly liberalized both internally and externally, it is widely understood that wages received by industrial workers in the coast and interior have widely diverged. However, less is known about how, between China's coast and interior, relative returns to domestic capital and foreign investment have fared, although we do know that the surge of foreign direct investment in China in recent decades has been overwhelmingly concentrated in the coastal region. This paper investigates comparative factor returns within China's industrial sector as measured by the marginal productivities of labor, domestic capital, and foreign capital. Using balanced and unbalanced samples of enterprise data during 1998–2004, we find significant differences between the returns to each of these factors. This paper explores the differences in estimates of factor returns that arise from the use of balanced versus unbalanced samples and least squares versus fixed effects estimators. We conclude that while returns to labor and domestic capital are higher in China's coastal economy, returns to foreign-owned capital are higher in the interior region. Indeed, the differences are indicative of those found in the literature that estimates cross-country comparisons between OECD and developing economies, suggesting that China's economy exhibits some of the differences found between the world's more and less developed economies.

Suggested Citation

  • Su, Jian & Jefferson, Gary H., 2012. "Differences in returns to FDI between China's coast and interior: One country, two economies?," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 23(3), pages 259-269.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:asieco:v:23:y:2012:i:3:p:259-269
    DOI: 10.1016/j.asieco.2010.11.006
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Francesco Caselli & James Feyrer, 2007. "The Marginal Product of Capital," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 122(2), pages 535-568.
    2. Alwyn Young, 2000. "The Razor's Edge: Distortions and Incremental Reform in the People's Republic of China," NBER Working Papers 7828, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Jefferson, Gary H. & Su, Jian, 2006. "Privatization and restructuring in China: Evidence from shareholding ownership, 1995-2001," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 146-166, March.
    4. Gary H. Jefferson & Albert G. Z. Hu & Jian Su, 2006. "The Sources and Sustainability of China's Economic Growth," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 37(2), pages 1-60.
    5. Robert S. Chirinko & Debdulal Mallick, 2008. "The Marginal Product of Capital: A Persistent International Puzzle," CESifo Working Paper Series 2399, CESifo.
    6. Alwyn Young, 2000. "The Razor's Edge: Distortions and Incremental Reform in the People's Republic of China," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 115(4), pages 1091-1135.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

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    2. Nasser Ary Tanimoune & Cécile Batisse & Mary-Françoise Renard, 2013. "Foreign Direct Investment across China: what should we learn from spatial dependences?," CERDI Working papers halshs-00878888, HAL.
    3. Anping Chen & Nicolaas Groenewold, 2013. "Regional Effects in China of an Emissions-Reduction Policy: Tax v. Subsidy," ERSA conference papers ersa13p1275, European Regional Science Association.
    4. 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.
    5. Chen, Anping & Groenewold, Nicolaas, 2015. "Emission reduction policy: A regional economic analysis for China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 136-152.
    6. Anping Chen & Nicolaas Groenewold, 2014. "The regional economic effects of a reduction in carbon emissions and an evaluation of offsetting policies in China," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 93(2), pages 429-453, June.
    7. Xiao Dai & Jian Wu & Liang Yan & Qian Zhang & Fangli Ruan & Dan Wang, 2019. "Industrial Structure Restructuring, Production Factor Allocation Analysis: Based on a Mineral Resource-Intensive City—Jiaozuo City," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-19, February.
    8. Anping Chen & Nicolaas Groenewold, 2019. "Macroeconomic shocks in China: Do the distributional effects depend on the regional source?," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 62(1), pages 69-97, February.
    9. Tang, Le, 2022. "The dynamic demand for capital and labor: Evidence from Chinese industrial firms," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    10. Anping Chen & Nicolaas Groenewold, 2016. "Output Shocks In China: Do The Distributional Effects Depend On The Regional Source?," Economics Discussion / Working Papers 16-20, The University of Western Australia, Department of Economics.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Foreign direct investment; Factor returns; Regional differences; China;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D33 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Factor Income Distribution
    • F15 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Economic Integration
    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes

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