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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. David Kunst, 2019. "Deskilling among Manufacturing Production Workers," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 19-050/VI, Tinbergen Institute, revised 30 Dec 2020.
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    7. Borooah, Vani, 2019. "The Labour Market in India," MPRA Paper 101673, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. 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.
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    10. 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.
    11. Soumya Bhadury & Abhinav Narayanan & Bhanu Pratap, 2021. "Structural Transformation of Jobs from Manufacturing to Services: Will It Work for India?," Margin: The Journal of Applied Economic Research, National Council of Applied Economic Research, vol. 15(1), pages 22-49, February.
    12. Diti Goswami & Sourabh Bikas Paul, 2020. "Labor Reforms in Rajasthan: A boon or a bane?," Papers 2012.01016, arXiv.org.
    13. Bir Singh, 2022. "Contractualisation in India’s manufacturing industry and the economic reforms of the early 1990s: an analysis based on ASI data," International Journal of Economic Policy Studies, Springer, vol. 16(1), pages 135-157, February.
    14. Asian Bank, 2018. "Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2018: How Technology Affects Jobs," Working Papers id:12717, eSocialSciences.

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