Manufacturing and National Efficiency in BRICS+ Countries: A Fractional Meta-regression Analysis

This study uses fractional meta-regression analysis to investigate the heterogeneity in manufacturing and national efficiency scores in Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, UAE and Ethiopia (BRICS)+ countries. The analysis of 281 manufacturing efficiency scores from 87 primary studies reveals an average efficiency of 65.9%, and 230 national efficiency scores from 39 studies produce an average score of 75.04%. Our findings indicate significant heterogeneity in both manufacturing and national efficiency scores, as well as the sensitivity of efficiency estimates to study-specific characteristics. Our findings reveal significant heterogeneity in efficiency scores driven by both methodological and economic factors. Methodological influences include estimation method, study orientation, sample size, number of variables, publication status and data type, reflecting differences in research design. Economically, variations arise from factors such as returns to scale and sector-specific conditions, which affect how inputs are converted into outputs. Notably, the manufacturing sector in BRICS+ countries holds substantial potential for output growth through efficiency improvements linked to better resource use, technology adoption and institutional support. JEL Classification: D2, F2