Do infrastructure and quality of governance matter for manufacturing productivity? Empirical evidence from the Indian states

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of infrastructure and governance quality on the state-level productivity of Indian manufacturing for the period 2008–2011. Design/methodology/approach - The authors first rank Indian states on their quality of governance using benefit-of-the-doubt approach. Next, to explain state-level differences in total factor productivity (TFP), the authors assess the impact of a composite index of governance on industrial TFP of Indian states using alternate techniques and controlling for endogeneity. The authors also decompose the composite effect of governance in terms of economic, social and financial infrastructure and other key governance dimensions, which serves as another robustness check for the findings. Findings - The authors find that TFP varies significantly across states, so does governance quality. Further, results suggest that TFP of Indian industries is sensitive toward public service deliveries of economic, social and financial infrastructure. However, the authors fail to find any impact of law and order indicators, for instance, rate of violent crimes, police strength and judicial service quality on the manufacturing productivity. The estimated coefficient of governance index is robust across alternate methodologies. Originality/value - To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to assess the impact of regional governance factors on the manufacturing sector of India. The study has identified governance factors that impact manufacturing productivity in the Indian states. Findings suggest that an effective way to eliminate regional growth inequality in India is to ensure that the lagging states initiate reforms to improve the quality of institutions, regulation and governance. Findings of the study contribute to the limited literature on governance at the regional/sub-national level.