Person:
Schiffbauer, Marc
Author Name Variants
Fields of Specialization
economic growth,
trade,
private sector development,
firm productivity
Degrees
External Links
Departments
Global Practice on Macro & Fiscal Management, The World Bank
Externally Hosted Work
Contact Information
Last updated
January 31, 2023
Biography
Marc Schiffbauer is a Senior Economist and part of the team preparing the World Development Report 2016 on Internet for Development. Marc joined the World Bank in September 2009 working in the Poverty Reduction and Economic Management unit within the Eastern Europe and Central Asia as well as the Middle East and North Africa regions. Prior to that, he worked for the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) in Dublin and as a consultant for the European Central Bank and the IMF on issues related to economic growth, firm productivity, and competition. Marc has a PhD in economics from the University of Bonn in Germany and was a one year visiting scholar at Universidad Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, and University of British Columbia, Vancouver.
Publication Search Results
1 - 10 of 15
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Publication
Jobs or Privileges : Unleashing the Employment Potential of the Middle East and North Africa
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2015)This report shows that in MENA, policies that lower competition and create an unleveled playing field abound and constrain private sector job creation. These policies take different forms across countries and sectors but share several common features: they limit free-entry in the domestic market, exclude certain firms from government programs, increase regulatory burden and uncertainty on non-privileged firms, insulate certain firms and sectors from foreign competition, and create incentives that discourage domestic firms from competing in international markets. The report shows that such policies are often captured by a few privileged firms with deep political connections, and that these policies persist despite their apparent cost to society. The millions of workers, consumers, and the majority of entrepreneurs who bear the brunt of that cost are often unaware of the adverse impact of these policies on the jobs and economic opportunities to which they aspire. This limits the scope for internal country debate and curtails the policy dialogue necessary for reform. Thus, Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries face a critical choice in their quest for higher private sector growth and more jobs: promote competition, equal opportunities for all entrepreneurs and dismantle existing privileges to specific firms or risk perpetuating the current equilibrium of low job creation. -
Publication
Pyramid Capitalism: Political Connections, Regulation, and Firm Productivity in Egypt
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2015-07)This paper uses an original database of 469 politically connected firms under the Mubarak regime in Egypt to explore the economic effects of close state-business relations. Previous research has shown that political connections are lucrative. The paper addresses several questions raised by this research. Do connected firms receive favorable regulatory treatment? They do: connected firms are more likely to benefit from trade protection, energy subsidies, access to land, and regulatory enforcement. Does regulatory capture account for the high value of connected firms? In the sample, regulatory capture as revealed by energy subsidies and trade protection account for the higher profits of politically connected firms. Do politically connected firms hurt aggregate growth? The paper identifies the growth effects of the entry of politically connected firms by comparing detailed 4-digit sectors where they entered, between 1996 and 2006, and sectors that remained unconnected. The entry of connected firms into new, modern, and previously unconnected sectors slows aggregate employment growth and skews the distribution of employment toward less productive, smaller firms. -
Publication
Trade Determinants and Potential of Syria: Using a Gravity Model ‘With an Estimation of the Syrian Crisis’ Impact on Exports’
(Taylor and Francis, 2015-08-20)This paper diagnoses export determinants for Syria between 1995 and 2010 using a gravity model applying Heckman's two-step approach with Least Squares Dummy Variables. The model analyzes total and manufacturing exports separately. In addition to the standard explanatory variables, the gravity model is augmented with the nominal effective exchange rate and institutional performance variables. The results show the importance of a relative improvement in Syrian institutions to increase exports. Furthermore, the paper estimates an index that identifies countries with a high potential demand for Syrian products. Finally, the gravity model is used to simulate the impact of the ongoing conflict in Syria on the potential for exports; the results show that sanctions and the deterioration in institutional factors are expected to have reduced Syria's export potential by more than 70%, which might lead to a complete collapse of the economy in the short term. -
Publication
Learning or Leaning: Persistent and Transitory Growth Spillovers from FDI
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2016-03)Using firm-level data for Jordan, the paper estimates the extent to which growth spillovers from foreign direct investment (FDI) to local firms stem from persistent learning externalities (i.e., they endure even after foreign investment leaves as knowledge has been transferred to local firms) or from transitory effects (e.g., demand increases that evaporate following disinvestment). The paper find that spillovers have a significant transitory nature, with employment and capital growth declining when FDI falls, particularly in downstream industries supplied by locals. This suggests that if FDI-attracting policies are intended to promote sustainable growth, it may be more effective to attract and retain FDI via long-term structural policies, for instance, through low corporate tax rates rather than temporary tax holidays or through policies that strengthen the domestic absorptive capacity and linkages between foreign and local firms. -
Publication
Competition Makes IT Better: Evidence on When Firms Use IT More Effectively
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2016-04)This paper uses a unique firm-level data set for Mexico, with information never used for research before, to assess how use of information technology (IT henceforth) influences firm performance. Further, the paper explores if, in the context of increasing competition from China, this effect is different for firms more strongly affected by competition where incentives for upgrading and innovation may be more intense. In this perspective, the paper analyzes the complementarity between IT and other changes spurred by competition, taking advantage of the exogenous shock generated by Chinese competition. The results indicate that IT use has higher effects over productivity in the case of firms facing higher competition from China, in the domestic market and in the U.S. market. Furthermore, the paper shows how these changes appear to be driven by complementary investments in innovation and organizational changes. -
Publication
ICT Use, Competitive Pressures and Firm Performance in Mexico
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2016-04)This paper presents a set of stylized facts on the relation between information and communications technology (ICT) use, firm performance, and competition. Taking advantage of a novel firm-level data set on information and communications technology for Mexico, the study finds that firms facing higher competition appear to have more incentives to increase their use of information and communications technology. Accordingly, although there is indeed a positive relation between information and communications technology use and firm performance, this effect is greater for firms that face higher competition pressures, which is consistent with the theoretical predictions of the trade-induced technical change hypothesis. -
Publication
Do Foreign Mergers and Acquisitions Boost Firm Productivity?
(Elsevier, 2017-12)This paper examines the causal relationship between foreign mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and the productivity of acquired firms using micro-data from the UK over the period 1999–2007. Our results suggest a significant heterogeneity in the total factor productivity (TFP) effects of foreign M&A at the industry level. Overall, we uncover a systematic pattern of post-acquisition TFP effects that is consistent with the most recent theoretical models of firm heterogeneity and cross-border mergers and acquisitions as mode of foreign entry. Furthermore, we find positive aggregate effects on labor productivity due to capital deepening but not due to changes in TFP. -
Publication
Macro and Micro Features of Successful Economic Convergence: The Case of Poland
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2019-01-09)This paper examines the patterns of growth of Poland, and its transition into high-income status over the past two decades from a macro and micro perspective. It benchmarks Polish performance with that observed in established high-income countries, and with that of others that have been trapped in middle--income levels and examines the role that integration into the EU had on growth. The analysis reveals, first, that Poland’s growth process has been accompanied by a process of diversification of assets, including institutions, physical and human capital. Second, that the progressive integration into the EU bloc boosted growth and productivity because of three keyfactors: (i) increased openness to trade, investment and talent, (ii) increased domestic competition, and regulatory harmonization with EU, (iii) increased certainty in reforms, through a commitment to EU-institutions. Third, that for full convergence to high-income levels, Polish firms need to increase their innovative capacities. The paper extracts lessons applicable to other economies trapped in middle-income levels, as well as to Poland itself to consolidate growth looking forward. -
Publication
Serbia’s New Growth Agenda: State Aid
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020-03-26)Serbia spends relatively large amounts on state aid programs, many of which will have to be phased out or restructured to comply with EU laws. There is room to restructure the existing programs to target activities that have more growth and job dividends; for example, by targeting startups and innovating firms and phasing out support for ailing industries, state-owned enterprises, and large or old private domestic firms. Although Serbia’s program to attract foreign direct investment has helped create new jobs, the focus should now shift to instruments that facilitate technology spillovers and domestic linkages. Finally, improving the scope and quality of data collection will contribute to better monitoring and more efficient targeting. The sooner Serbia starts to adjust its state aid programs, the larger the economic and fiscal benefits will be. -
Publication
ICT Use, Competitive Pressures, and Firm Performance in Mexico
(Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the World Bank, 2016-04-21)In this paper the authors present a set of stylized facts regarding the relation between information and communication technologies (ICT) use, firm performance, and competition. Taking advantage of a novel firm-level data set regarding ICT for Mexico, the authors find that firms facing higher competition appear to be the ones that have more incentives to increase their use of ICT. Accordingly, even though there is indeed a positive relation between ICT use and firm performance, this effect is greater for firms that face higher competition pressures, which is consistent with the theoretical predictions of the trade-induced technical change hypothesis.