Explaining Africa's (Dis)advantage

Harrison, Ann E.; Lin, Justin Yifu; Xu, L. Colin

doi:10.1596/1813-9450-6316

Publication:
Explaining Africa's (Dis)advantage

dc.contributor.author	Harrison, Ann E.
dc.contributor.author	Lin, Justin Yifu
dc.contributor.author	Xu, L. Colin
dc.date.accessioned	2013-04-12T17:05:31Z
dc.date.available	2013-04-12T17:05:31Z
dc.date.issued	2013-01
dc.description.abstract	Africa's economic performance has been widely viewed with pessimism. In this paper, firm-level data for around 80 countries are used to examine formal firm performance. Without controls, manufacturing African firms perform significantly worse than firms in other regions. They have lower productivity levels and growth rates, export less, and have lower investment rates. Once geography, political competition and the business environment are controlled for, formal African firms lead in productivity levels and growth. Africa's conditional advantage is higher in low-tech than in high-tech manufacturing, and exists in manufacturing but not in services. The key factors explaining Africa's disadvantage at the firm level are lack of infrastructure, access to finance, and political competition.	en
dc.identifier	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2013/01/17395138/explaining-africas-disadvantage
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10986/13181
dc.language	English
dc.language.iso	en_US
dc.publisher	World Bank, Washington, DC
dc.relation.ispartofseries	Policy Research Working Paper;No. 6316
dc.rights	CC BY 3.0 IGO
dc.rights.holder	World Bank
dc.rights.uri	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo
dc.subject	ACCOUNTABILITY
dc.subject	ACCOUNTING
dc.subject	ACCOUNTING SYSTEMS
dc.subject	ADVERSE EFFECT
dc.subject	ADVERSE EFFECTS
dc.subject	AGENCY PROBLEMS
dc.subject	AUTOMOBILE
dc.subject	AUTOMOBILES
dc.subject	BANK LOANS
dc.subject	BENCHMARK
dc.subject	BENCHMARKING
dc.subject	BUSINESS CLIMATE
dc.subject	BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
dc.subject	BUSINESS ENVIRONMENTS
dc.subject	BUSINESS REGULATION
dc.subject	BUSINESSES
dc.subject	CAPITAL INVESTMENTS
dc.subject	COLLECTIVE ACTION
dc.subject	COMMUNICATION INFRASTRUCTURE
dc.subject	COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE
dc.subject	COMPARATIVE ECONOMICS
dc.subject	COMPETITIVENESS
dc.subject	CONTRACT ENFORCEMENT
dc.subject	CUSTOM
dc.subject	DAMAGES
dc.subject	DEMOCRACY
dc.subject	DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
dc.subject	DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
dc.subject	DEVELOPMENT POLICY
dc.subject	ECONOMETRICS
dc.subject	ECONOMIC BEHAVIOR
dc.subject	ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
dc.subject	ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY
dc.subject	ECONOMIC GROWTH
dc.subject	ECONOMIC OUTCOMES
dc.subject	ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE
dc.subject	ECONOMIC RESEARCH
dc.subject	ECONOMICS
dc.subject	ECONOMISTS
dc.subject	ELECTRICITY
dc.subject	EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS
dc.subject	EMPIRICAL STUDIES
dc.subject	EMPLOYMENT GROWTH
dc.subject	ENDOGENOUS VARIABLES
dc.subject	ENTERPRISE SURVEY
dc.subject	ENTERPRISE SURVEYS
dc.subject	ENTREPRENEURSHIP
dc.subject	ENVIRONMENTAL
dc.subject	ENVIRONMENTS
dc.subject	EQUIPMENT
dc.subject	EXPORTS
dc.subject	FACE VALUE
dc.subject	FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS
dc.subject	FINANCIAL CRISIS
dc.subject	FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT
dc.subject	FOREIGN ENTRY
dc.subject	FOREIGN INVESTMENT
dc.subject	GDP
dc.subject	GDP PER CAPITA
dc.subject	GLOBAL MARKETS
dc.subject	GLOBALIZATION
dc.subject	GROWTH RATE
dc.subject	IMPORT TARIFFS
dc.subject	IMPUTATION
dc.subject	INCOME
dc.subject	INCOME GROUPS
dc.subject	INCOME LEVELS
dc.subject	INDUSTRIALIZATION
dc.subject	INDUSTRY PRODUCTIVITY
dc.subject	INEFFICIENCY
dc.subject	INFLATION
dc.subject	INFLATION RATE
dc.subject	INFORMATION SHARING
dc.subject	INNOVATION
dc.subject	INNOVATIONS
dc.subject	INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
dc.subject	INTERNATIONAL TRADE
dc.subject	JOB CREATION
dc.subject	LABOR COSTS
dc.subject	LABOR MARKET
dc.subject	LABOR MARKET FLEXIBILITY
dc.subject	LABOR MARKETS
dc.subject	LABOR PRODUCTIVITY
dc.subject	LABOR REGULATIONS
dc.subject	LESS DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
dc.subject	MACROECONOMIC PERFORMANCE
dc.subject	MACROECONOMIC POLICIES
dc.subject	MANAGERIAL DISCRETION
dc.subject	MANUFACTURING
dc.subject	MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES
dc.subject	MARKET COMPETITION
dc.subject	MATERIAL
dc.subject	MENU
dc.subject	MINIMUM WAGES
dc.subject	MONITORING MECHANISM
dc.subject	MONOPOLY
dc.subject	MONOPOLY RENTS
dc.subject	NATURAL RESOURCE
dc.subject	NATURAL RESOURCES
dc.subject	NETWORK DATA
dc.subject	OPEN ACCESS
dc.subject	PENALTIES
dc.subject	PERFORMANCE INDICATOR
dc.subject	PERFORMANCE MEASURE
dc.subject	PERFORMANCE MEASURES
dc.subject	PHONES
dc.subject	POLICY INSTRUMENTS
dc.subject	POLICY MAKERS
dc.subject	POLITICAL ECONOMY
dc.subject	POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS
dc.subject	POSITIVE EFFECTS
dc.subject	PRIVATE INVESTMENT
dc.subject	PRIVATE SECTOR
dc.subject	PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT
dc.subject	PRIVATIZATION
dc.subject	PRODUCERS
dc.subject	PRODUCTION FUNCTION
dc.subject	PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH
dc.subject	PROFITABILITY
dc.subject	PROPERTY RIGHTS
dc.subject	PUBLIC GOODS
dc.subject	RESULT
dc.subject	RESULTS
dc.subject	RETAIL STORES
dc.subject	RISK SHARING
dc.subject	SAFETY
dc.subject	SEVERANCE PAY
dc.subject	STRUCTURAL CHANGE
dc.subject	TAXATION
dc.subject	TELECOM
dc.subject	TELECOMMUNICATION
dc.subject	TELECOMMUNICATIONS
dc.subject	TELEPHONE
dc.subject	TIME PERIOD
dc.subject	TOTAL FACTOR PRODUCTIVITY
dc.subject	TRANSPORT
dc.subject	UNEMPLOYMENT
dc.subject	URBANIZATION
dc.subject	VALUE ADDED
dc.subject	WAGE STRUCTURE
dc.subject	WAGES
dc.subject	WEB
dc.title	Explaining Africa's (Dis)advantage	en
dspace.entity.type	Publication
okr.crosscuttingsolutionarea	Jobs
okr.date.disclosure	2013-01-01
okr.doctype	Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper
okr.doctype	Publications & Research
okr.docurl	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2013/01/17395138/explaining-africas-disadvantage
okr.globalpractice	Macroeconomics and Fiscal Management
okr.globalpractice	Social Protection and Labor
okr.globalpractice	Environment and Natural Resources
okr.globalpractice	Finance and Markets
okr.globalpractice	Transport and ICT
okr.globalpractice	Trade and Competitiveness
okr.identifier.doi	10.1596/1813-9450-6316
okr.identifier.externaldocumentum	000158349_20130228084803
okr.identifier.internaldocumentum	17395138
okr.identifier.report	WPS6316
okr.language.supported	en
okr.pdfurl	http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2013/02/28/000158349_20130228084803/Rendered/PDF/wps6316.pdf	en
okr.region.administrative	Africa
okr.region.geographical	Africa
okr.topic	Private Sector Development :: E-Business
okr.topic	Social Protections and Labor :: Labor Policies
okr.topic	Banks and Banking Reform
okr.topic	Economic Theory and Research
okr.topic	Environmental Economics and Policies
okr.topic	Finance and Financial Sector Development
okr.topic	Macroeconomics and Economic Growth
okr.topic	Environment
okr.unit	Development Research Group (DECRG)
relation.isAuthorOfPublication	6f9860c3-5c17-54f1-92fb-9f5055cc0038
relation.isSeriesOfPublication	26e071dc-b0bf-409c-b982-df2970295c87