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Still medalling: Productivity gets a bronze (data source)

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  • Fabling Richard

    (Motu Economic and Public Policy Research)

Abstract

Productivity data is missing from the Longitudinal Business Database (LBD) for over a third of firm-year observations in "measured sector" industries, equating to a fifth of total labour in those industries. We develop a method to fill these data gaps using an additional (third) data source - firm-level annualised goods and services tax (GST) returns. Coupled with additional modelling using full-coverage employment information, the resulting "complete" productivity dataset provides additional avenues for researchers to test the robustness of their results to the inclusion of firm types previously underrepresented in the productivity data - particularly new and owner-operated firms.

Suggested Citation

  • Fabling Richard, 2024. "Still medalling: Productivity gets a bronze (data source)," Motu Working Papers 24_06, Motu Economic and Public Policy Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:mtu:wpaper:24_06
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. David C. Maré & Dean R. Hyslop & Richard Fabling, 2017. "Firm productivity growth and skill," New Zealand Economic Papers, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(3), pages 302-326, September.
    2. Allan, Corey & Maré, David C., 2022. "Who Benefits from Firm Success? Heterogenous Rent Sharing in New Zealand," IZA Discussion Papers 15264, IZA Network @ LISER.
    3. Chad Syverson, 2011. "What Determines Productivity?," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 49(2), pages 326-365, June.
    4. Arthur Grimes & Cleo Ren & Philip Stevens, 2012. "The need for speed: impacts of internet connectivity on firm productivity," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 37(2), pages 187-201, April.
    5. Isabelle Sin & Steven Stillman & Richard Fabling, 2022. "What Drives the Gender Wage Gap? Examining the Roles of Sorting, Productivity Differences, Bargaining, and Discrimination," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 104(4), pages 636-651, October.
    6. Corey Allan & David C. Maré, 2021. "Do workers share in firm success? Pass-through estimates for New Zealand," Motu Working Papers 21_15, Motu Economic and Public Policy Research.
    7. Chiara Criscuolo & Alexander Hijzen & Cyrille Schwellnus & Erling Barth & Wen-Hao Chen & Richard Fabling & Priscilla Fialho & Balazs Stadler & Richard Upward & Wouter Zwysen & Katarzyna Grabska-Romago, 2020. "Workforce composition, productivity and pay: the role of firms in wage inequality," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 1603, OECD Publishing.
    8. Lisa Meehan, 2020. "Productivity in New Zealand: the role of resource allocation among firms," New Zealand Economic Papers, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(1), pages 39-66, January.
    9. Eric J. Bartelsman & Zoltan Wolf, 2014. "Forecasting Aggregate Productivity Using Information from Firm-Level Data," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 96(4), pages 745-755, October.
    10. Michael Kirker & Lynda Sanderson, 2022. "Firm Productivity Growth and the Knowledge of New Workers," Treasury Working Paper Series 22/01, New Zealand Treasury.
    11. Richard Fabling & Lynda Sanderson, 2016. "A Rough Guide to New Zealand's Longitudinal Business Database (2nd edition)," Motu Working Papers 16_03, Motu Economic and Public Policy Research.
    12. David Christopher Maré & Richard Fabling, 2013. "Productivity and Local Workforce Composition," Advances in Spatial Science, in: Riccardo Crescenzi & Marco Percoco (ed.), Geography, Institutions and Regional Economic Performance, edition 127, pages 59-76, Springer.
    13. Fabling, Richard & Grimes, Arthur, 2021. "Picking up speed: Does ultrafast broadband increase firm productivity?," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • D20 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - General
    • D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity

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