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on Central and Western Asia |
| By: | Paul Conway; Véronique Janod; Giuseppe Nicoletti |
| Abstract: | This paper describes trends in product market regulation in OECD countries over the period 1998 to 2003. The analysis is based on summary indicators of product market regulation that measure the degree to which policies promote or inhibit competition. The results suggest that regulatory impediments to competition have declined in all OECD countries in recent years. Regulation has also become more homogenous across the OECD as countries with relatively restrictive policies have, in some areas, moved towards the regulatory environment of the more liberalized countries. Within some countries product market policies have become more consistent across different regulatory provisions, although relatively restrictive countries still tend to have a more heterogeneous approach to competition. In general, domestic barriers to competition tend to be higher in countries that have higher barriers to foreign trade and investment, and high levels of state control and barriers to competition tend to be associated with cumbersome administrative procedures and policies that reduce the adaptability of labour markets. Notwithstanding recent progress in product market reform, a 'hard core' of regulations that impede competition still persists in virtually all countries. <p> La réglementation des marchés de produits dans les pays de l'OCDE, 1998-2003 <p> Ce document décrit les évolutions de la réglementation encadrant les marchés de produits dans les pays de l'OCDE sur la période 1998-2003. L'analyse est basée sur des indicateurs synthétiques de la réglementation des marchés de produits qui mesurent l'intensité avec laquelle les politiques favorisent ou restreignent la concurrence. Les résultats suggèrent que les entraves à la concurrence résultant de la réglementation ont décliné dans tous pays de l'OCDE ces dernières années. La réglementation est aussi devenue plus homogène à travers l'OCDE, les pays disposant de politiques relativement restrictives, s'étant ralliés, dans certains domaines, à l'environnement réglementaire des pays plus libéraux. Dans certains pays, les politiques concernant les marchés de produits sont devenues plus cohérentes au regard des différents dispositifs réglementaires, même si les pays relativement restrictifs ont toujours tendance à disposer d'une approche plus disparate de la concurrence. De façon générale, les barrières à la concurrence résultant de politiques à vocation intérieure ont tendance à être plus importantes dans les pays disposant d'importants obstacles aux échanges internationaux et à l'investissement ; de même de hauts niveaux de contrôles étatiques et d'importants obstacles à la concurrence ont tendance à être associés avec d'encombrantes procédures administratives et des politiques qui réduisent la capacité d'adaptation du marché du travail. En dépit des récents progrès accomplis par les réformes des marchés de produits, un 'noyau dur' de règlements, entravant la concurrence, persiste toujours dans pratiquement tous les pays. |
| Keywords: | indicators; product market regulation |
| JEL: | K2 L5 |
| Date: | 2005–02–14 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oed:oecdec:419&r=cwa |
| By: | Marijke Kuiper (LEI Agricultural Economics Research Institute) |
| Abstract: | Recent increases in the number of multilateral and preferential trade agreements have sparked the development of applied models to quantify the impact of trade agreements. Outcomes generally support the theoretical notion that liberalising trade increases welfare. The increase in aggregate welfare is attained through a restructuring of the economy, with possible painful effects for certain economic sectors or parts of the population. The current debate on trade liberalisation focuses on the distribution of costs and benefits. Applied models can provide an understanding of the distribution of costs and benefits. Their outcomes, however, are determined by the way in which the economy and the liberalisation measures are modelled. The aim of this study is to compare different ways of quantifying the impact of the Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreements (EMAAs). Based on the assessment of key model features and analysed scenarios we assess to what extent existing studies address key policy issues related to the EMAAs and identify directions for future research. |
| Date: | 2004–04 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ena:enawpp:006&r=cwa |
| By: | Marijke Kuiper; Crescenzo dell' Aquila (LEI Agricultural Economics Research Institute) |
| Abstract: | Based on an earlier study of existing analyses of the EMAAs, we defined two scenarios suited for a quantitative analysis of the EMAAs. Because of the need to rely on existing models, the focus is on analysing the impact of the EMAA on Morocco in detail. In a subsequent study we will use an aggregated representation of other North African MPCs as a reference point to assess whether the conclusions derived for Morocco may be extended to the MPCs as a whole. The two scenarios reflect the current focus on the economic interests of the EU and the political objectives served by the EMAAs. Comparison of these scenarios will provide an idea as to what extent the security concerns of the EU are in conflict with the economic interests of the different EU member states. |
| Date: | 2004–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ena:enawpp:009&r=cwa |
| By: | Surender Kumar (National Institute of Public Finance and Policy) |
| Abstract: | Total factor productivity (TFP) growth in industrial manufacturing is measured for 15 major Indian states for the period 1982-83 to 2000-01 using non-parametric linear programming methods. TFP growth is decomposed into efficiency and technological changes and also measure for the bias in technical change. The resulting information is used to examine whether the post-reform period shows any improvement in productivity and efficiency in comparison to the pre-reform one. Findings of the present exercise indicate the improvement in TFP. The recent change in TFP is governed by the technical progress in contrast to similar gain caused by the improvement in technical efficiency in the pre-reform regime. The technological progress in state manufacturing exhibited a capital using bias during the study period. Regional differences in TFP persist, although the magnitude of variation has declined in the post-reform period. Moreover, it is also found that there is a tendency of convergence in terms of TFP growth rate among Indian states during the post-reform years and only the states that were technically efficient at the beginning of the reform remain innovative. |
| Date: | 2004–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ind:nipfwp:22&r=cwa |
| By: | Kala Seetharam Sridhar (National Institute of Public Finance and Policy) |
| Abstract: | For a country like India that contains a large number of Urban Agglomerations (UAs), suburbanisation has drawn little attention of the literature. I focus on this sparsely studied issue in this work. I calculate population, household and employment density gradients for India's UAs, using Mills' two-point technique. Next, I estimate population, household and employment gradient regressions. I find that the size of UA and lagged value of the population gradient explain population suburbanisation, as we would expect. I find evidence from the employment suburbanisation equation that it is the jobs that follow people, and not vice-versa, consistent with what has been found in the literature. In the employment sub-sector regressions, I find that the skills of the labor force are the most important factor explaining suburbanisation of manufacturing, transport, communications and trade/commerce jobs in India's urban areas. I conclude with policy implications. |
| Keywords: | India, Suburbanisation, Density Gradient, Mills' two-point technique, Population gradient, Employment gradient, Household gradient, Gradient regressions, Exponential density function |
| JEL: | R11 R12 R23 O18 |
| Date: | 2004–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ind:nipfwp:23&r=cwa |
| By: | A. L. Nagar (National Institute of Public Finance and Policy); Sanjay Kumar (Department of Income Tax, New Delhi); Dev Ashish (National Institute of Public Finance and Policy) |
| Date: | 2004–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ind:nipfwp:24&r=cwa |
| By: | Jayati Sarkar (Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research); Subrata Sarkar (Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research) |
| Abstract: | The relation between multiple directorships, busy directors and firm performance has been researched predominantly in the context of developed economies, notably the US. This paper extends the existing literature on multiple directorships in two ways; first, by providing additional evidence on its effect on firm performance, but with respect to an emerging economy, India, and secondly, by suggesting an alternative measure of directorial "busyness" that is more general in its applicability compared to those that have been applied in the existing literature. Using a sample of 500 large firms from the Indian corporate sector for the year 2002-03, the paper finds multiple directorships by independent directors to correlate positively with firm value thereby supporting the "quality hypothesis" that busy directors are likely to be better directors, a result that is different from the existing evidence on busy directors. Multiple directorships by insider directors are, however, negatively related to firm performance. Estimation of group and non-group companies separately reveals that the quality effect of independent directors persists for the former but disappears for the latter. In general, the results suggest that the relation between "busy" directors and firm performance may depend on the institutional context and on the type of director. |
| Keywords: | Multiple Directorships, Busy Directors, Firm Performance |
| JEL: | G30 G39 K22 |
| Date: | 2005–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ind:igiwpp:2005-001&r=cwa |