Trade Liberalization, Intermediate Inputs and Productivity: Evidence from Indonesia* This paper estimates the effects of trade liberalization on plant productivity. In contrast to previous studies, we distinguish between productivity gains arising from lower tariffs on final goods relative to those on intermediate inputs. Lower output tariffs can produce productivity gains by inducing tougher import competition whereas cheaper imported inputs can raise productivity via learning, variety or quality effects. We use Indonesian manufacturing census data from 1991 to 2001, which includes plant level information on imported inputs. The results show that the largest gains arise from reducing input tariffs. A 10 percentage point fall in output tariffs increases productivity by about 1%, whereas an equivalent fall in input tariffs leads to a 3% productivity gain for all firms and an 11% productivity gain for importing firms. Abstract This paper estimates the effects of trade liberalization on plant productivity. In contrast to previous studies, we distinguish between productivity gains arising from lower tariffs on final goods relative to those on intermediate inputs. Lower output tariffs can produce productivity gains by inducing tougher import competition whereas cheaper imported inputs can raise productivity via learning, variety or quality effects. We use Indonesian manufacturing census data from 1991 to 2001, which includes plant level information on imported inputs. The results show that the largest gains arise from reducing input tariffs. A 10 percentage point fall in output tariffs increases productivity by about 1 percent, whereas an equivalent fall in input tariffs leads to a 3 percent productivity gain for all firms and an 11 percent productivity gain for importing firms.

Large exporters are simultaneously large importers. In this paper, we show that this pattern is key to understanding low aggregate exchange rate pass-through as well as the variation in pass-through across exporters. First, we develop a theoretical framework that combines variable markups due to strategic complementarities and endogenous choice to import intermediate inputs. The model predicts that firms with high import shares and high market shares have low exchange rate pass-through. Second, we test and quantify the theoretical mechanisms using Belgian firm-product-level data with information on exports by destination and imports by source country. We confirm that import intensity and market share are the prime determinants of pass-through in the cross-section of firms. A small exporter with no imported inputs has a nearly complete pass-through, while a firm at the 95th percentile of both import intensity and market share distributions has a pass-through of just above 50%, with the marginal cost and markup channels playing roughly equal roles. The largest exporters are simultaneously highmarket-share and high-import-intensity firms, which helps explain the low aggregate pass-through and exchange rate disconnect observed in the data.

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

The Impact of Training on Productivity and Wages: Firm Level Evidence This paper uses firm level panel data of firm provided training to estimate its impact on productivity and wages. To this end the strategy proposed by Ackerberg, Caves and Frazer (2006) for estimating production functions to control for the endogeneity of input factors and training is applied. The productivity premium for a trained worker is estimated at 23%, while the wage premium of training is estimated at 12%. Our results give support to recent theories that explain work related training by imperfect competition in the labor market.JEL Classification: J24, J31 and L22

We use a unique firm-level panel data set of multinational parents and their foreign affiliates to analyze whether profits are shared across borders within multinational firms. Using both fixed-effects and generalized method-of-moments estimators, affiliate wage levels are estimated to respond to both affiliate and parent profitability. The elasticity of affiliate wages to parent profits per worker is approximately 0.03, which can explain over 20 percent of the observed variation in affiliate wages. These results reveal a previously ignored aspect of labormarket rent sharing. They also reveal an important micro-level linkage with potential macrolevel implications. International rent sharing can transmit economic conditions across national borders, and can thereby provide an implicit cross-country risk-sharing mechanism.

Trade Liberalization, Intermediate Inputs and Productivity: Evidence from Indonesia* This paper estimates the effects of trade liberalization on plant productivity. In contrast to previous studies, we distinguish between productivity gains arising from lower tariffs on final goods relative to those on intermediate inputs. Lower output tariffs can produce productivity gains by inducing tougher import competition whereas cheaper imported inputs can raise productivity via learning, variety or quality effects. We use Indonesian manufacturing census data from 1991 to 2001, which includes plant level information on imported inputs. The results show that the largest gains arise from reducing input tariffs. A 10 percentage point fall in output tariffs increases productivity by about 1%, whereas an equivalent fall in input tariffs leads to a 3% productivity gain for all firms and an 11% productivity gain for importing firms. Abstract This paper estimates the effects of trade liberalization on plant productivity. In contrast to previous studies, we distinguish between productivity gains arising from lower tariffs on final goods relative to those on intermediate inputs. Lower output tariffs can produce productivity gains by inducing tougher import competition whereas cheaper imported inputs can raise productivity via learning, variety or quality effects. We use Indonesian manufacturing census data from 1991 to 2001, which includes plant level information on imported inputs. The results show that the largest gains arise from reducing input tariffs. A 10 percentage point fall in output tariffs increases productivity by about 1 percent, whereas an equivalent fall in input tariffs leads to a 3 percent productivity gain for all firms and an 11 percent productivity gain for importing firms.

This paper reports new and unique firm-level survey evidence to investigate the microeconomic nature of the growth process and structural change in three transition countries, Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary. In particular we investigate gross job creation and destruction in newly established private (de novo) firms and "traditional" ones, both state-owned and privatized firms, and find that the de novo private firms are the most dynamic in terms of job 1 We acknowledge the financial support from the Phare-Ace Project P96-6203-R. The financial support of the KUL research fund and the FWO is also gratefully acknowledged.

This paper analyses the employment behavior of multinational enterprises (MNEs) in Europe.To this end we use a unique firm level panel data set of more than 1,000 European multinational parent enterprises and their affiliates. The affiliates are located either in the European Union divided into (North, South), Central and Eastern Europe or both.We find that for parent firms operating in the manufacturing sector the elasticity of parent employment with respect to North EU affiliates' labour costs is positive and statistically significant, ranging from 0.03 to 0.08, depending on the specification considered. This implies employment substitution between parents and their North EU based affiliates takes place in response to wage cost differentials between the parent and its North EU based affiliates. This substitution effect becomes stronger when affiliates are operating in a different sector than their parent firm.However, we find no evidence for such substitution effects between parent employment and its affiliates that are located in low wage regions in the EU and in Central and Eastern Europe.Furthermore, substitution effects are absent for parent firms operating in the non-manufacturing sector.Our results suggest that on average during the period of this study competition from low wage countries in Central and Eastern Europe and the South of the EU did not contribute to a relocation of domestic jobs to these low wage regions. JEL classification:F23, J23