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on Efficiency and Productivity |
| By: | Schneider, Florian |
| Abstract: | This meta-study analyzes the productivity effects of industrial robots. More than 1800 estimates from 81 primary studies are collected. There is strong evidence that the empirical literature on the productivity effect of robots suffers from a substantial positive publication bias. This finding is observed across all measures of productivity used in the primary literature and is robust to several modern meta-analytic estimators. Beyond publication bias, there is only limited evidence for a productivity-increasing effect of robots, which so far have exerted at best a marginal boost. My analysis of the drivers of heterogeneity among the findings of primary studies points to adjustment costs at low intensities of robot use as well as diminishing returns at more advanced levels of robotization. My findings are robust to addressing model uncertainty through Bayesian model averaging. Finally, several explanatory factors for the emergence of a productivity paradox in the context of robotics are discussed. |
| Keywords: | robots; technology; IFR; meta-analysis; publication bias; productivity; growth; Solow-paradox |
| JEL: | O11 O12 O14 O33 O40 O47 |
| Date: | 2024–12–27 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:123392 |
| By: | Park , Donghyun (Asian Development Bank); Shin, Kwanho (Korea University) |
| Abstract: | We examine the implications of robots and artificial intelligence (AI) for employment and productivity, using a rich firm-level database from the Survey of Business Activities provided by Statistics Korea. While previous studies have explored the effects of robots and AI separately, we investigate their effects jointly within a unified framework. We deploy propensity score matching to control for firm characteristics, enabling a potential causal interpretation of the differential impacts of robots and AI. We find that the patterns of adopting robots and AI differ significantly across industries. Additionally, although the overall share of firms adopting robots is larger, AI adoption is more concentrated among bigger firms. Our main finding is that, while adopting robots and adopting AI both increase employment, only adopting AI improves labor productivity. However, such productivity gains are accompanied by a decrease in the labor share of income, suggesting a potential shift in value distribution favoring capital income. Furthermore, we find that the immediate impact of adopting both robots and AI is an increase in temporary but not permanent employment. Finally, there is no evidence that firms adopting both robots and AI improve their labor productivity, potentially reflecting a lack of synergy. |
| Keywords: | artificial intelligence; robots; employment; productivity |
| JEL: | D22 J21 J24 O33 O40 |
| Date: | 2025–02–07 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ris:adbewp:0769 |
| By: | Gabor Katay (European Commission, Directorate†General for Economic and Financial Affairs); Palma Filep-Mosberger (Magyar Nemzeti Bank (Central Bank of Hungary)); Francesco Tucci (Sapienza Università di Roma) |
| Abstract: | The paper evaluates the impact of the European Commission’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) grants on profit†oriented firms’ post†treatment performance. Using a quasi†experimental design and a dataset covering applicants from 46 countries, we find that FP7 grants increase firms’ sales and labour productivity by about 18%. However, there is no significant impact on employment levels, pointing to potential growth barriers that prevent firms from scaling production despite improved productivity. The effectiveness of these grants varies significantly based on factors such as financial constraints, project risk profiles, market structure, and the innovation environment. Smaller, less productive firms with tighter financial constraints in technologyintensive sectors operating in concentrated markets and favourable innovation environments, particularly those undertaking longer and riskier projects, tend to benefit more. |
| Keywords: | EU funds for research and innovation; firm productivity; regression†discontinuity design. |
| JEL: | C31 G28 H57 O31 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mnb:wpaper:2025/1 |
| By: | jamaldin, sadam |
| Abstract: | This study explores the factors affecting the production of maize among farmers in Mzumbe ward. It is important to understand the challenges facing these farmers in order to improve their yields and livelihoods. The study employs a mixed-methods approach, using both quantitative and qualitative data to analyze the determinants of maize production. The study finds that resource availability, market demand, size of the farm, education level, gender and income, all play important roles in determining the level of maize production. The results also reveal that yield per acre is used as a standard measure of maize productivity. Generally these findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to improve the productivity and profitability of maize farming in Mzumbe ward |
| Keywords: | sadam jamaldin production of maize farm size |
| JEL: | D11 D6 |
| Date: | 2023–10–13 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:119175 |
| By: | Jacques Mairesse; Pierre Mohnen; Ad Notten |
| Abstract: | This paper reviews the empirical work that has been done over the period 2013-2023 on the topic of innovation and productivity. A visual graph based on keywords shows the main areas that have been investigated. The literature review is organized around the way the link between innovation and productivity has been analyzed, the data that have been used, and the evidence that has been obtained. The paper ends with suggestions of future research on the topic. Ce document passe en revue les travaux empiriques réalisés au cours de la période 2013-2023 sur le thème de l'innovation et de la productivité. Un graphique visuel basé sur des mots-clés montre les principaux domaines qui ont été étudiés. La revue de littérature est organisée autour de la manière dont le lien entre l'innovation et la productivité a été analysé, des données qui ont été utilisées et des preuves qui ont été obtenues. Le document se termine par des suggestions de recherches futures sur le sujet. |
| Keywords: | literature review, productivity, innovation, micro data, Revue de littérature, productivité, innovation, données microéconomiques |
| JEL: | D24 O30 O31 O32 |
| Date: | 2025–02–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cir:cirwor:2025s-03 |
| By: | Anastasia Bruni (Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei and Catholic University of Sacred Heart) |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the effect of green investments on market power. I measure the market power as markup following the method provided in De Loecker and Warzynski (2012). For green investments, I consider specifically the investments of firms in energy efficient technologies, both as the binary variable and as the continuous variable. This allows the examination of how the presence of such investments as well as their intensity affect markups. I use firm, age, year, sector and country fixed effects with a representative sample of indicatively 12, 000 firms from the European Investment Bank Investment Survey (EIBIS) in the panel from 2016 to 2022. I find the positive and statistically significant relationship that holds also when applying the 2SLS-IV methodology. This study is particularly relevant for firms that are willing to increase their market power and to improve their environmentally friendly image in the eyes of their customers without the need of engaging in greenwashing practices. Instead, the firms are invited to consider energy efficiency investments as a concrete way of improving both their markups and the loyalty of their customers. |
| Keywords: | green investment, markup, market power, instrumental variable |
| JEL: | Q56 L11 D22 C36 O13 |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fem:femwpa:2025.05 |
| By: | Marco De Simone; Dario Guarascio; Jelena Reljic |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the impact of robotisation on workplace safety in EU manufacturing sectors between 2011 and 2019. To address endogeneity concerns, we employ an instrumental variable approach and find that robot adoption reduces both injuries and fatalities. Specifically, a 10 per cent increase in robot adoption is associated with a 0.066 per cent reduction in fatalities and a 1.96 per cent decrease in injuries. Our findings highlight the context-dependent nature of these effects. The safety benefits of robotisation materialise only in high-tech sectors and in countries where industrial relations provide strong worker protections. In contrast, in traditional industries and countries with weaker institutional frameworks, these benefits remain largely unrealised. The results are robust to several sensitivity tests. |
| Keywords: | EU, robotisation; technology; workplace safety; injuries; fatalities; industrial relations |
| JEL: | J01 J08 J28 J50 J81 L60 O33 |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:sap:wpaper:wp255 |
| By: | Ziesemer, Thomas (RS: GSBE MORSE, Macro, International & Labour Economics) |
| Abstract: | We start from five economic relations of research and development R&D driven growth for 14 OECD countries: GDP and technical change; technical change and private business R&D; domestic private and public R&D; domestic and foreign public R&D; foreign private and public R&D. Cointegration tests force us to go from these five pairs to four triples of these variables. We establish the four relations through (i) panel cointegration tests and (ii) a panel vector-error-correction model (VECM) with cross-section fixed effects in the differenced part and long-term relations from group mean versions of FMOLS and DOLS (fully modified and dynamic OLS) estimation (also with fixed effects), which are the current econometric standard for panel VECMs with homogenous adjustment coefficients and slopes in the differenced terms. Public R&D has positive long-run regression coefficients for direct effects on productivity and indirect ones via private R&D. Shocks on the intercepts of the public R&D growt h equation of the VECM enhance private R&D, technical change, and GDP in a statistically significant way. Permanent changes of foreign public and private R&D have positive growth effects, which are transitional for foreign public R&D. |
| JEL: | O19 O47 O50 |
| Date: | 2023–05–25 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:unm:unumer:2023020 |