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Factor Market Distortions across Time, Space and Sectors in China

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Listed:
  • Loren Brandt

    (University of Toronto)

  • Trevor Tombe

    (University of Calgary)

  • Xiaodong Zhu

    (University of Toronto and Hong Kong Institute for Monetary Research)

Abstract

In this paper, we measure TFP losses in China's non-agricultural economy associated with labour and capital misallocation across provinces and sectors between 1985 and 2007. We also decompose the overall loss into factor market distortions within provinces (between state and non-state sectors) and distortions between provinces (within sectors). Over the entire period, misallocation lowers aggregate non-agricultural TFP by an average of twenty percent. However, after initially declining, these losses increased appreciably beginning in the mid-1990s. This reversal can be attributed almost exclusively to increasing misallocation of capital between state and non-state sectors within provinces, while losses from between province misallocation remained fairly constant. We argue that the recent increase in capital market distortions is related to government policies that encourage investments in the state sector at the expense of investments in the more productive non-state sector.

Suggested Citation

  • Loren Brandt & Trevor Tombe & Xiaodong Zhu, 2012. "Factor Market Distortions across Time, Space and Sectors in China," Working Papers 262012, Hong Kong Institute for Monetary Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:hkm:wpaper:262012
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    China; Factor Market; Distortion; Productivity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O11 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Macroeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence
    • O53 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Asia including Middle East

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