IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/iza/izadps/dp13074.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Provincial Trade, Financial Friction and Misallocation in China

Author

Listed:
  • Kwon, Ohyun

    (Drexel University)

  • Fleisher, Belton M.

    (Ohio State University)

  • McGuire, William H.

    (University of Washington Tacoma)

  • Zhao, Min Qiang

    (Xiamen University)

Abstract

We study the implications of financial-market imperfections on labor and capital misallocation in China. Financial friction stems from private sectors' credit constraints that limit the efficient use of capital relative to state firms. Our model can jointly explain labor flows out of and capital flows into the Chinese provinces with high capital market distortion. To formally test this hypothesis, we propose a measure of regional financial friction based on our model. We show that the underlying financial friction can be inferred by differences-in-differences in the market shares of private and state sectors and their marginal rental rates of capital. Our regression results show that our measure of financial friction has robust explanatory power regarding interprovincial capital and labor flows. Our structural analysis shows that improving financial friction in China can lead to 3.9% welfare gain in China.

Suggested Citation

  • Kwon, Ohyun & Fleisher, Belton M. & McGuire, William H. & Zhao, Min Qiang, 2020. "Provincial Trade, Financial Friction and Misallocation in China," IZA Discussion Papers 13074, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp13074
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://docs.iza.org/dp13074.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wei, Shang-Jin & Boyreau-Debray, Genevieve, 2004. "Pitfalls of a State-Dominated Financial System: The Case of China," CEPR Discussion Papers 4471, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    2. David Dollar & Shang-Jin Wei, 2007. "Das (Wasted) Kapital: Firm Ownership and Investment Efficiency in China," IMF Working Papers 2007/009, International Monetary Fund.
    3. Dennis Novy, 2013. "Gravity Redux: Measuring International Trade Costs With Panel Data," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 51(1), pages 101-121, January.
    4. Feldstein, Martin & Horioka, Charles, 1980. "Domestic Saving and International Capital Flows," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 90(358), pages 314-329, June.
    5. Gertler, Mark & Rogoff, Kenneth, 1990. "North-South lending and endogenous domestic capital market inefficiencies," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 26(2), pages 245-266, October.
    6. Poncet, Sandra & Steingress, Walter & Vandenbussche, Hylke, 2010. "Financial constraints in China: Firm-level evidence," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 21(3), pages 411-422, September.
    7. Zhang, Xiaobei & Li, Haizheng & Wang, Xiaojun & Fleisher, Belton M., 2019. "Human Capital and the Economic Convergence Mechanism: Evidence from China," IZA Discussion Papers 12224, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    8. Ralph Ossa, 2014. "Trade Wars and Trade Talks with Data," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 104(12), pages 4104-4146, December.
    9. Chang-Tai Hsieh & Peter J. Klenow, 2009. "Misallocation and Manufacturing TFP in China and India," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 124(4), pages 1403-1448.
    10. Zheng Song & Kjetil Storesletten & Fabrizio Zilibotti, 2011. "Growing Like China," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 101(1), pages 196-233, February.
    11. Loren Brandt & Trevor Tombe & Xiadong Zhu, 2013. "Factor Market Distortions Across Time, Space, and Sectors in China," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 16(1), pages 39-58, January.
    12. Loren Brandt & Trevor Tombe & Xiadong Zhu, 2013. "Factor Market Distortions Across Time, Space, and Sectors in China," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 16(1), pages 39-58, January.
    13. Li, Cheng, 2010. "Savings, investment, and capital mobility within China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 14-23, March.
    14. Costinot, Arnaud & Rodríguez-Clare, Andrés, 2014. "Trade Theory with Numbers: Quantifying the Consequences of Globalization," Handbook of International Economics, in: Gopinath, G. & Helpman, . & Rogoff, K. (ed.), Handbook of International Economics, edition 1, volume 4, chapter 0, pages 197-261, Elsevier.
    15. Loren Brandt & Johannes Van Biesebroeck & Luhang Wang & Yifan Zhang, 2017. "WTO Accession and Performance of Chinese Manufacturing Firms," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 107(9), pages 2784-2820, September.
    16. Cheng Li, 2010. "Savings, investment, and capital mobility within China," Post-Print hal-00693048, HAL.
    17. Zhifu Mi & Jing Meng & Dabo Guan & Yuli Shan & Malin Song & Yi-Ming Wei & Zhu Liu & Klaus Hubacek, 2017. "Chinese CO2 emission flows have reversed since the global financial crisis," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 8(1), pages 1-10, December.
    18. Wu, Guiying Laura, 2018. "Capital misallocation in China: Financial frictions or policy distortions?," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 203-223.
    19. Jingting Fan, 2019. "Internal Geography, Labor Mobility, and the Distributional Impacts of Trade," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 11(3), pages 252-288, July.
    20. Lai, Jennifer T. & McNelis, Paul D. & Yan, Isabel K.M., 2013. "Regional capital mobility in China: Economic reform with limited financial integration," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 493-503.
    21. Donaldson, Dave, 2010. "Railroads of the Raj: estimating the impact of transportation infrastructure," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 38368, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    22. Dave Donaldson, 2010. "Railroads of the Raj: Estimating the Impact of Transportation Infrastructure," NBER Working Papers 16487, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Deng, Liuchun & Wang, Boqun, 2016. "Regional capital flows and economic regimes: Evidence from China," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 80-83.
    2. Jie Bai & Jiahua Liu, 2019. "The Impact of Intranational Trade Barriers on Exports: Evidence from a Nationwide VAT Rebate Reform in China," CID Working Papers 373, Center for International Development at Harvard University.
    3. Pablo D. Fajgelbaum & Edouard Schaal, 2020. "Optimal Transport Networks in Spatial Equilibrium," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 88(4), pages 1411-1452, July.
    4. Yi Huang & Marco Pagano & Ugo Panizza, 2020. "Local Crowding‐Out in China," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 75(6), pages 2855-2898, December.
    5. Chadwick Curtis, 2013. "Economic Reforms and the Evolution of China's TFP," 2013 Meeting Papers 1023, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    6. Chadwick Curtis, 2016. "Economic Reforms and the Evolution of China's Total Factor Productivity," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 21, pages 225-245, July.
    7. Yao, Yao, 2019. "Does higher education expansion enhance productivity?," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 169-194.
    8. Zhou, Fujin & Oostendorp, Remco, 2024. "Big distortions, small efficiency loss: Measuring resource misallocation with complementary distortions in Vietnam," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 219(C), pages 244-261.
    9. Samuel Cudré, 2014. "Capital’s long march west: saving and investment frictions in Chinese regions," ECON - Working Papers 161, Department of Economics - University of Zurich.
    10. Fusheng Xie, 2023. "Productivity Improvement from the Mixed-Ownership Reform: A Financial Frictions Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-20, January.
    11. Cheng Chen & Wei Tian & Miaojie Yu, 2019. "Outward FDI and Domestic Input Distortions: Evidence from Chinese Firms," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 129(624), pages 3025-3057.
    12. Chen, Zhao & Poncet, Sandra & Xiong, Ruixiang, 2020. "Local financial development and constraints on domestic private-firm exports: Evidence from city commercial banks in China," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 56-75.
    13. Tang, Le, 2021. "Investment dynamics and capital distortion: State and non-state firms in China," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    14. Weng, Qian & Söderbom, Måns, 2018. "Is R&D cash flow sensitive? Evidence from Chinese industrial firms," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 77-95.
    15. Te Lai, 2015. "Regional Capital Mobility in China: An Endogenous Parameter Approach," Applied Economics and Finance, Redfame publishing, vol. 2(3), pages 63-75, August.
    16. Wu, Guiying Laura, 2018. "Capital misallocation in China: Financial frictions or policy distortions?," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 203-223.
    17. Ek, Chanbora & Wu, Guiying Laura, 2018. "Investment-cash flow sensitivities and capital misallocation," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 220-230.
    18. Chen, Lili & Guo, Shaoyu & Lu, Jian & Gerschewski, Stephan, 2021. "Outward FDI and efficiency in within-firm resource allocation – Evidence from firm-level data of China," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    19. Torsten Heinrich & Jangho Yang & Shuanping Dai, 2022. "Levels of structural change," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 32(1), pages 35-86, January.
    20. Jong Hyun Chung, 2020. "Firm heterogeneity, misallocation, and trade," Auburn Economics Working Paper Series auwp2020-01, Department of Economics, Auburn University.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    financial friction; regional capital flows; Chinese economy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R12 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity; Interregional Trade (economic geography)
    • H3 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents
    • E5 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit
    • O5 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies
    • F4 - International Economics - - Macroeconomic Aspects of International Trade and Finance

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp13074. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Holger Hinte (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/izaaade.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.