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Labour Productivity in State-Owned Enterprises

Author

Listed:
  • António Afonso

    (Universidade de Lisboa)

  • Maria João Guedes

    (Universidade de Lisboa)

  • Pankaj C. Patel

    (Villanova University, Villanova School of Business)

Abstract

In the aftermath of the Global and Financial Crisis, between 2013 and 2015, the Portuguese government revoked four holidays for both public sector and private employees. We test whether the revocation had an effect on labour productivity in state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in Portugal. Moreover, we also study whether such effects are different taking into account the SOEs managed by the Central Government or the Local and Regional Governments. Our results show that revocation of holidays did not impact labour productivity for either central or local and regional government managed SOEs. Though revocation of holidays espoused to improve productivity, the policy seems to have served a ceremonial purpose, but not an economic one.

Suggested Citation

  • António Afonso & Maria João Guedes & Pankaj C. Patel, 2021. "Labour Productivity in State-Owned Enterprises," Comparative Economic Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Association for Comparative Economic Studies, vol. 63(3), pages 450-465, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:pal:compes:v:63:y:2021:i:3:d:10.1057_s41294-021-00148-1
    DOI: 10.1057/s41294-021-00148-1
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Labour productivity; State-owned enterprises; Central government; Panel data; Portugal;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C23 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • H79 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - Other
    • J45 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Public Sector Labor Markets
    • J58 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Public Policy
    • J89 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Standards - - - Other
    • L32 - Industrial Organization - - Nonprofit Organizations and Public Enterprise - - - Public Enterprises; Public-Private Enterprises

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