Africa's manufacturing puzzle: Evidence from Tanzanian and Ethiopian firms

Recent growth accelerations in Africa are characterized by declining shares of the labor force employed in agriculture, increasing labor productivity in agriculture, and declining labor productivity in modern sectors such as manufacturing. To shed light on this puzzle, this study disaggregates firms...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Diao, Xinshen, Ellis, Mia, McMillan, Margaret S., Rodrik, Dani
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Oxford University Press 2025
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/152417
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author Diao, Xinshen
Ellis, Mia
McMillan, Margaret S.
Rodrik, Dani
author_browse Diao, Xinshen
Ellis, Mia
McMillan, Margaret S.
Rodrik, Dani
author_facet Diao, Xinshen
Ellis, Mia
McMillan, Margaret S.
Rodrik, Dani
author_sort Diao, Xinshen
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Recent growth accelerations in Africa are characterized by declining shares of the labor force employed in agriculture, increasing labor productivity in agriculture, and declining labor productivity in modern sectors such as manufacturing. To shed light on this puzzle, this study disaggregates firms in the manufacturing sector by average size, using two newly created firm-level panels covering Tanzania (2008–2016) and Ethiopia (1996–2017). The analysis identifies a dichotomy between larger firms with superior productivity performance that do not expand employment and small firms that absorb employment but do not experience much productivity growth. Large, more productive firms use highly capital-intensive techniques, in line with global technology trends but significantly greater than what would be expected based on these countries’ income levels or relative factor endowments.
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spelling CGSpace1524172025-10-26T12:55:35Z Africa's manufacturing puzzle: Evidence from Tanzanian and Ethiopian firms Diao, Xinshen Ellis, Mia McMillan, Margaret S. Rodrik, Dani growth manufacturing productivity transformation Recent growth accelerations in Africa are characterized by declining shares of the labor force employed in agriculture, increasing labor productivity in agriculture, and declining labor productivity in modern sectors such as manufacturing. To shed light on this puzzle, this study disaggregates firms in the manufacturing sector by average size, using two newly created firm-level panels covering Tanzania (2008–2016) and Ethiopia (1996–2017). The analysis identifies a dichotomy between larger firms with superior productivity performance that do not expand employment and small firms that absorb employment but do not experience much productivity growth. Large, more productive firms use highly capital-intensive techniques, in line with global technology trends but significantly greater than what would be expected based on these countries’ income levels or relative factor endowments. 2025-05-01 2024-09-26T18:43:05Z 2024-09-26T18:43:05Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/152417 en https://doi.org/10.3386/w28344 https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.134392 Limited Access Oxford University Press Diao, Xinshen; Ellis, Mia; McMillan, Margaret; and Rodrik, Dani. Africa's manufacturing puzzle: Evidence from Tanzanian and Ethiopian firms. World Bank Economic Review 39(2): 308–340. https://doi.org/10.1093/wber/lhae029
spellingShingle growth
manufacturing
productivity
transformation
Diao, Xinshen
Ellis, Mia
McMillan, Margaret S.
Rodrik, Dani
Africa's manufacturing puzzle: Evidence from Tanzanian and Ethiopian firms
title Africa's manufacturing puzzle: Evidence from Tanzanian and Ethiopian firms
title_full Africa's manufacturing puzzle: Evidence from Tanzanian and Ethiopian firms
title_fullStr Africa's manufacturing puzzle: Evidence from Tanzanian and Ethiopian firms
title_full_unstemmed Africa's manufacturing puzzle: Evidence from Tanzanian and Ethiopian firms
title_short Africa's manufacturing puzzle: Evidence from Tanzanian and Ethiopian firms
title_sort africa s manufacturing puzzle evidence from tanzanian and ethiopian firms
topic growth
manufacturing
productivity
transformation
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/152417
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