• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• 제38권3호
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• pp.37-52
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• 2016

This paper analyzes the effects of allocative efficiency on productivity in the manufacturing sector of Korea following Hsieh and Klenow (2009). The results of this research indicate that the overall allocative efficiency declined from 1990 to 2012. Using the method of Oberfield (2013), which allows inter-industry resource movement as well as intra-industry reallocation, we confirm that intensified misallocation generally results from intra-industry allocative inefficiency. The potential loss from instances of worsening misallocation is estimated to be approximately 0.6% points for each year, which is considerable in terms of the overall TFP. In terms of the firm size distribution, initially large establishments are more likely to expand if distortions are removed in most countries. One notable feature in Korea is that this pattern is pronounced. This implies that subsidies to unproductive small-sized establishments are heavily implemented.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• 제45권1호
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• pp.1-32
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• 2023

Growth of the Korean economy has been sluggish, and this situation is more pronounced in the service sector. We argue that capital misallocation, especially in the service sector, could contribute to this slowdown. Utilizing firm and sectoral level data, first we assess the rising dispersion of the marginal revenue product of capital (MRPK) driven by the service sector. This could represent a widening misallocation of capital. Furthermore, a panel regression shows that within-sector misallocations at the sectoral level are closely correlated with the lower growth rate of sectoral real value added. Again, this is mainly observed in the service sector, but not in the manufacturing sector. Misallocations of other resources, labor and the intermediate inputs do not stand out.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• 제37권3호
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• pp.31-53
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• 2015

According to the macroeconomic allocation efficiency measure, particularly based on the methodology of Hsieh and Klenow (2009), Korea's allocation efficiency in the manufacturing industry deteriorated in the 2000s compared to that in the 1990s. This study compares the potential TFP gain when resource allocation is removed, an indicator of allocation inefficiency according to Hsieh and Klenow (2009), and the productivity dispersion in the Korean manufacturing industry. It finds that the TFP gain may be better explained by TFP dispersions rather than proxies related to factors of distortion. The findings imply that we should investigate the sources of TFP dispersion rather than the sources of distortion to explain increases in the TFP gain (or TFP loss), which is considered as allocation inefficiency in the literature.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• 제26권4호
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• pp.1-22
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• 2022

Purpose - This paper empirically investigates the effect of a rise in the global value chain (GVC) on the industry-level efficiency of resource allocation (based on plant-level inefficiency measures) in Korea, with a focus on various channels through which a rise in the GVC can increase competition among firms and thus induce resources to be allocated more efficiently across firms. Design/methodology - We empirically investigate the relationship between the industry-specific importance of GVC and the industry-level allocative inefficiency that is measured as the dispersion of the plant-level marginal revenue of capital (MRK) as in Hsieh and Klenow's (2009) influential model. We compute MRK dispersion for industries sorted by various characteristics that are closely related to firm/industry sensitivity to the GVC. In other words, we compute the average industry-level MRK dispersion for industries sorted by industry-specific importance of GVC and compute the difference between the two groups of industries (higher vs. lower than the median GVC); we also calculate the difference between industries sorted by industry-specific export (import) intensity. This is our difference-in-difference estimate of the MRK dispersion associated with the GVC for the export (import)-intensive industry versus the non-export (non-import)-intensive industry. This difference-in-difference estimate of the MRK dispersion conditional vs. unconditional on firm-level productivity is then calculated further (triple-difference estimate). Findings - A rise in GVC is associated with a decrease in the MRK dispersion in the export-intensive industry compared to the non-export-intensive industry. The same is true for industries that rely heavily on imports versus those that do not (i.e., import intensive vs. non-intensive). Furthermore, the reduction in the MRK dispersion in the export-intensive industry associated with an increase in the GVC is disproportionately greater for high-productivity firms. In contrast, the negative relationship between GVC and MRK dispersion in the import-intensive industry is disproportionately smaller for high-productivity firms. Originality/value - Existing studies focus on the relationship between GVC and aggregate output, exports, and imports at the country level. We investigate detailed firm/industry-level mechanisms that determine the relationship between GVC, trade, and productivity. Using the plant-level data in South Korea, we investigate how GVC is related to the cross-firm MRK dispersion, an important measure of allocative inefficiency, based on Hsieh and Klenow's (2009) influential economic theory. This is the first study to provide plant-level evidence of how GVC affects MRK dispersion. Furthermore, we examine how the relationship between GVC and MRK-dispersion varies across export intensity, import intensity, and firm-level productivity, providing insight into how GVC can affect firms' exposure to competition in the global market differently depending on market conditions and thus generate trade-related productivity gains.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• 제12권2호
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• pp.135-149
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• 1990

주택소유자(住宅所有者)는 자가주택(自家住宅) 귀속임료(歸屬賃料)에 대한 소득세비과세(所得稅非課稅), 1세대(世帶) 1주택(住宅)에 대한 양도소득세비과세(讓渡所得稅非課稅) 및 주택상속(住宅相續)에 대한 상속세공제(相續稅控除) 등 여러가지 조세감면혜택(租稅減免惠澤)을 누리고 있다. 본고(本稿)에서는 기존의 연구결과를 중심으로 이러한 조세감면혜택의 경제적(經濟的) 효과(效果)를 살펴보았다. 이에 의하면 주택소유자(住宅所有者)에 대한 조세감면(租稅減免)은 조세부담(租稅負擔)의 수평적(水平的) 수직적(垂直的) 형평(衡平)에 어긋날 뿐 아니라 주택시장(住宅市場) 및 국민경제(國民經濟)에 미치는 여러가지 왜곡효과(歪曲效果)를 통해 자원배분(資源配分)의 효율성(效率性)을 저해하고 역진적인 소득재분배(所得再分配)를 유발한다고 할 수 있다. 특히 자본시장(資本市場)이 불완전(不完全)한 경우 주택조세감면(住宅租稅減免)은 부유층에 대해 필요 이상의 주택(住宅)을 소유토록하는 한편 유동성이 부족한 저소득층(低所得層) 및 젊은층의 주택구입(住宅購入)을 더욱 어렵게 함으로써 주택소유(住宅所有)의 계층간 불균형을 심화시키고 소득분배(所得分配)를 더욱 악화시키는 결과를 초래한다고 할 수 있다. 따라서 주택소유자(住宅所有者)와 무주택자간(無住宅者間) 조세(租稅)의 중립성을 회복하는 것이 중요하며 이를 위해서는 첫째로 무주택자(無住宅者)의 임대료지출(賃貸料支出)에 대해 소득공제(所得控除)를 실시하며, 둘째로 1세대(世帶) 1가구(家口)에 대해서도 양도소득세(讓渡所得稅)를 과세하며, 셋째로 상속과세(相續課稅)에 있어 주택공제(住宅控除)를 폐지하는 것이 바람직하다고 생각된다. 우리나라와 같이 자본시장(資本市場)이 불완전한 경우 주택소유촉진정책(住宅所有促進政策)은 효율적(效率的)인 장기주택금융제도(長期住宅金融制度)의 확립을 통해 실시되어야 하며 정부(政府)의 재정지원(財政支援)은 주거비부담능력(住居費負擔能力)이 최소한의 수준에 미달하는 영세민계층(零細民階層)에 집중(集中)되어야 할 것이다.