IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/unm/unuint/200401.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Productivity, Exports, Skills and Technological Capabilities: A Study of Foreign and Local Manufacturing Firms in Uganda

Author

Listed:
  • Rasiah, Rajah

    (United Nations University, Institute for New Technologies)

  • Tamale, Henry

    (Bank of Uganda)

Abstract

This paper examines productivity, export-intensity, skills-intensity and technological differences between foreign and local firms in metal engineering, textile and garment, food and beverages, plastics and other industrial firms in Uganda using the technological capability framework. In metal engineering foreign firms enjoyed higher and statistically significant technology index, human resource, process technology and R&D capabilities than local firms. However, the remaining t-tests produced mixed results. Nonetheless, foreign firms enjoyed stronger statistical relationships between the technology index, and productivity and export-intensity, and export-intensity and skills intensity. Foreign firms also enjoyed a stronger statistical relationship between export-intensity, and technology index and human resource capabilities. Overall, the results suggest that local firms can learn considerably from the operations of foreign firms in Uganda

Suggested Citation

  • Rasiah, Rajah & Tamale, Henry, 2004. "Productivity, Exports, Skills and Technological Capabilities: A Study of Foreign and Local Manufacturing Firms in Uganda," UNU-INTECH Discussion Paper Series 2004-01, United Nations University - INTECH.
    • Handle: RePEc:unm:unuint:200401
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.merit.unu.edu/publications/discussion-papers/2004-1.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ganeshan Wignaraja, 2002. "Firm Size, Technological Capabilities and Market-oriented Policies in Mauritius," Oxford Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(1), pages 87-104.
    2. Aitken, Brian & Hanson, Gordon H. & Harrison, Ann E., 1997. "Spillovers, foreign investment, and export behavior," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 43(1-2), pages 103-132, August.
    3. Rasiah, Rajah & Lin, Yeo, 2003. "The Role Of Market, Trust and Government in the Development of the Information Hardware Industry in Taiwan," UNU-INTECH Discussion Paper Series 2003-10, United Nations University - INTECH.
    4. Anthony Black, 2001. "Globalization and restructuring in the South African automotive industry," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 13(6), pages 779-796.
    5. Mortimore, Michael, 2003. "Illusory competitiveness: the apparel assembly model of the Caribbean Basin," Desarrollo Productivo 4531, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL).
    6. Brian J. Aitken & Ann E. Harrison, 2022. "Do Domestic Firms Benefit from Direct Foreign Investment? Evidence from Venezuela," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Globalization, Firms, and Workers, chapter 6, pages 139-152, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    7. J. R. Harris, 1971. "Entrepreneurship and Economic Development," Working papers 69, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Department of Economics.
    8. Rajah Rasiah & Asokkumar Malakolunthu, 2009. "Technological intensities and economic performance: a study of foreign and local electronics firms in Malaysia," Asia Pacific Business Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(2), pages 181-197, April.
    9. Blomstrom, Magnus & Sjoholm, Fredrik, 1999. "Technology transfer and spillovers: Does local participation with multinationals matter?1," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 43(4-6), pages 915-923, April.
    10. Pavitt, Keith, 1984. "Sectoral patterns of technical change: Towards a taxonomy and a theory," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 13(6), pages 343-373, December.
    11. World Bank, 2002. "World Development Indicators 2002," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 13921, December.
    12. Sjoholm, Fredrik, 1999. "Productivity Growth in Indonesia: The Role of Regional Characteristics and Direct Foreign Investment," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 47(3), pages 559-584, April.
    13. Sanjaya Lall & Paul Streeten, 1977. "Foreign Investment, Transnationals and Developing Countries," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-1-349-02290-8.
    14. Blomstrom, Magnus, 1986. "Foreign Investment and Productive Efficiency: The Case of Mexico," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(1), pages 97-110, September.
    15. Sanjaya Lall, 1985. "The International Allocation of Research Activity by US Multinationals," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Multinationals, Technology and Exports, chapter 3, pages 38-64, Palgrave Macmillan.
    16. Young, Allyn A., 1928. "Increasing Returns and Economic Progress," History of Economic Thought Articles, McMaster University Archive for the History of Economic Thought, vol. 38, pages 527-542.
    17. Haddad, Mona & Harrison, Ann, 1993. "Are there positive spillovers from direct foreign investment? : Evidence from panel data for Morocco," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(1), pages 51-74, October.
    18. Chang, Ha-Joon, 2003. "Regulation of Foreign Investment in Historical Perspective," UNU-INTECH Discussion Paper Series 2003-12, United Nations University - INTECH.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Tirta Mursitama, 2006. "Creating relational rents: The effect of business groups on affiliated firms’ performance in Indonesia," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 23(4), pages 537-557, December.

    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. Rasiah, Rajah, 2004. "Technological Intensity and Export Incidence: A Study of Foreign and Local Auto-Parts, Electronics and Garment Firms in Indonesia," UNU-INTECH Discussion Paper Series 2004-05, United Nations University - INTECH.
    2. Rajah Rasiah & Ashish Kumar, 2008. "Foreign Ownership, Technological Intensities and Economic Performance of Automotive Parts Firms in India," Asia Pacific Business Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(1), pages 85-102.
    3. Greenaway, David & Görg, Holger, 2002. "Much Ado About Nothing? Do Domestic Firms Really Benefit from Foreign Investment?," CEPR Discussion Papers 3485, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    4. Neil Foster-McGregor, 2012. "Innovation and Technology Transfer across Countries," wiiw Research Reports 380, The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies, wiiw.
    5. Holger Görg & David Greenaway, 2016. "Much Ado about Nothing? Do Domestic Firms Really Benefit from Foreign Direct Investment?," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: MULTINATIONAL ENTERPRISES AND HOST COUNTRY DEVELOPMENT Volume 53: World Scientific Studies in International Economics, chapter 9, pages 163-189, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    6. Geoffrey G. Gachino, 2010. "Technological spillovers from multinational presence," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 10(3), pages 193-210, July.
    7. Della Temenggung, 2007. "Productivity Spillovers from Foreign Direct Investment: Indonesian Manufacturing Industry’s Experience 1975-2000," DEGIT Conference Papers c012_048, DEGIT, Dynamics, Economic Growth, and International Trade.
    8. Rasiah, Rajah, 2003. "Foreign ownership, technology and electronics exports from Malaysia and Thailand," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 14(5), pages 785-811, October.
    9. Gachino, Geoffrey, 2007. "Technological spillovers from multinational presence - Towards a conceptual framework," MERIT Working Papers 2007-017, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    10. Gordon H. HANSON, 2001. "Should Countries Promote Foreign Direct Investment?," G-24 Discussion Papers 9, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
    11. Salvador Barrios, "undated". "Foreign Direct Investment and Productivity Spillovers," Working Papers 2000-19, FEDEA.
    12. Salvador Barrios & Eric Strobl, 2002. "Foreign direct investment and productivity spillovers: Evidence from the Spanish experience," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 138(3), pages 459-481, September.
    13. Salvador Barrios, "undated". "Foreign Direct Investment Productivity Spillovers. Evidence From the Spanish Experience," Studies on the Spanish Economy 86, FEDEA.
    14. Blomström, Magnus & Kokko, Ari, 2003. "Human Capital and Inward FDI," CEPR Discussion Papers 3762, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    15. Sule Ozler & Erol Taymaz, 2004. "Does foreign ownership matter for survival and growth? Dynamics of competition and foreign direct investment," ERC Working Papers 0406, ERC - Economic Research Center, Middle East Technical University, revised Mar 2004.
    16. Blomström, Magnus & Kokko, Ari, 2003. "The Economics of Foreign Direct Investment Incentives," EIJS Working Paper Series 168, Stockholm School of Economics, The European Institute of Japanese Studies.
    17. Nuno Crespo & Maria Paula Fontoura & Isabel Proença, 2009. "FDI spillovers at regional level: Evidence from Portugal," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 88(3), pages 591-607, August.
    18. Christian Bellak, 2004. "How Domestic and Foreign Firms Differ and Why Does it Matter?," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(4), pages 483-514, September.
    19. Rajneesh Narula & André Pineli, 2017. "Multinational Enterprises and Economic Development in Host Countries: What We Know and What We Don’t Know," Palgrave Studies in Impact Finance, in: Gianluigi Giorgioni (ed.), Development Finance, chapter 6, pages 147-188, Palgrave Macmillan.
    20. Shahid Yusuf & Kaoru Nabeshima, 2009. "Growth through Innovation : An Industrial Strategy for Shanghai," World Bank Publications - Reports 18613, The World Bank Group.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Productivity; Exports; Skills; Technology; Foreign Firms; Uganda;
    All these keywords.

    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:unm:unuint:200401. 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: Ad Notten (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/meritnl.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.