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The Determinants of Capital Intensity in Manufacturing: The Role of Factor Market Imperfections

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  • Hasan, Rana
  • Mitra, Devashish
  • Sundaram, Asha

Abstract

We study the role of factor market imperfections in determining industry-level capital intensities. Using cross-country panel data on manufacturing industries, we find that labor market imperfections arising from labor regulation have a greater influence on capital intensity than do credit market imperfections. Less restrictive labor regulations are associated with lower capital intensity in manufacturing, especially in middle-income and developing economies and in sectors that either require more frequent labor adjustment or are more unskilled labor intensive. This suggests that stringent labor regulations can impose costs on labor use, thereby curtailing gains from trade based on factor-abundance driven comparative advantage.

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  • Hasan, Rana & Mitra, Devashish & Sundaram, Asha, 2013. "The Determinants of Capital Intensity in Manufacturing: The Role of Factor Market Imperfections," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 91-103.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:51:y:2013:i:c:p:91-103
    DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2013.05.012
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    3. Tooba Shojaie & Amir Mansour Tehranchian, 2018. "New Empirical Evidence on the Determinants of Capital Intensity: An Adaptive Comparison of Iran and China," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 8(2), pages 94-100.
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    7. Diti Goswami & Sourabh Bikas Paul, 2020. "Labor Reforms in Rajasthan: A boon or a bane?," Papers 2012.01016, arXiv.org.
    8. David Kunst, 2019. "Deskilling among Manufacturing Production Workers," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 19-050/VI, Tinbergen Institute, revised 30 Dec 2020.
    9. Cui, Guanghui & Zhang, Yi & Ma, Jingwen & Yao, Wenyun, 2023. "Does environmental regulation affect the labor income share of manufacturing enterprises? Evidence from China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).
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    12. Yao, Wenyun & Zhang, Yi & Ma, Jingwen & Cui, Guanghui, 2023. "Does environmental regulation affect capital-labor ratio of manufacturing enterprises: Evidence from China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    13. Borooah, Vani, 2019. "The Labour Market in India," MPRA Paper 101673, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    14. Judzik, Dario & Sala, Hector, 2015. "The determinants of capital intensity in Japan and the US," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 78-98.
    15. Shaosheng Jin & Baojie Ma & Yuqing Zheng & Xin Jin & Wenchao Wu, 2024. "Short‐term impact of food safety standards on agri‐product exports: Evidence from Japan's positive list system on Chinese vegetable exports," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 75(1), pages 362-381, February.
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    17. Asian Bank, 2018. "Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2018: How Technology Affects Jobs," Working Papers id:12717, eSocialSciences.

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