Publication: Use of Imported Inputs and the Cost of Importing : Evidence from Developing Countries
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Date
2014-08-26
ISSN
1350-4851
Published
2014-08-26
Author(s)
Amin, Mohammad
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Abstract
For a representative sample of manufacturing firms in 26 countries, the article shows that changes in the cost of importing over time is significantly and negatively correlated with changes in the percentage of firm’s material inputs that are of foreign origin. Furthermore, we show that there may be a non-linear relationship between import costs and imports. These findings are important as recent studies point towards a significant positive effect of imported inputs on productivity and growth. We hope that the present article inspires more work on the determinants of imported input usage especially in developing countries.
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Publication Use of Imported Inputs and the Cost of Importing : Evidence from Developing Countries(World Bank Group, Washington, DC, 2014-08)For a representative sample of manufacturing firms in 26 countries, this paper shows that changes in the cost of importing over time are significantly and negatively correlated with changes in the percentage of firms' material inputs that are of foreign origin. Furthermore, the paper shows that there may be a nonlinear relationship between import costs and imports. These findings are important, as recent studies point toward a significant positive effect of imported inputs on productivity and growth. It is hoped that the present paper inspires more work on the determinants of the use of imported inputs, especially in developing countries.Publication Imports of Intermediate Inputs and Country Size(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2014-01)The paper analyzes the relationship between country size and the use of imported intermediate inputs by firms in 76 developing countries. Recent evidence indicates that the use of imported inputs can have a large, positive effect on productivity and growth, thus motivating a better understanding of the determinants of foreign inputs. The results confirm that, as is the case with exports, use of imported intermediate inputs is much higher at the extensive and intensive margins in small relative to large countries. The results for imported inputs are comparable in magnitude with those for exports.Publication Imports of Intermediate Inputs and Country Size(Taylor and Francis, 2014-04-01)The article analyses the relationship between country size and the use of imported intermediate inputs by firms in 76 developing countries. Recent evidence indicates that the use of imported inputs can have a large positive effect on productivity and growth, thus motivating a better understanding of the determinants of foreign inputs. Our results confirm that as is the case with exports, use of imported intermediate inputs is much higher at the extensive and intensive margin in small relative to large countries. Our results for imported inputs are comparable in magnitude with that for exports.Publication Are There More Female Managers in the Retail Sector? Evidence from Survey Data in Developing Countries(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2014-04)This paper uses firm-level data for 87 developing countries to analyze how the likelihood of a firm having female vs. male top manager varies across sectors. The service sector is often considered to be more favorable toward women compared with men vis-Ã -vis the manufacturing sector. Although the exploration of the data confirms a significantly higher presence of female managers in services vs. manufacturing, the finding is entirely driven by retail firms, with little contribution from other service sectors, such as wholesale, construction, and other services. The analysis also finds that the higher presence of female managers in the retail sector vs. manufacturing is much higher among the relatively small firms and firms located in the relatively small cities. These findings could serve as useful inputs for the design of optimal policy measures aimed at promoting gender equality in a country.Publication The Time Cost of Documents to Trade(Taylor and Francis, 2015-06-04)The article shows that the number of documents required to export and import tend to increase the time cost of shipments. However, the increase in the time cost of increased documentation is much larger for countries that are relatively poor and large in size. One interpretation here is that the relatively rich countries that have more resources and the relatively small countries that rely more on trade invest more in building efficient documentation systems. Our findings suggest caution in interpreting how input-based measures, such as the number of required documents to trade, affect outcome measures.
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