Competition and Firm Performance: Lessons from Russia

SITE Working Paper No. 154

35 Pages Posted: 12 Apr 2000

See all articles by J. David Brown

J. David Brown

US Census Bureau Center for Economic Studies; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

John S. Earle

George Mason University - Schar School of Policy and Government; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Date Written: March 2000

Abstract

The "big-bang" liberalization of the inefficient Russian economy in 1992 provides a fruitful setting for analyzing the impact of several dimensions of market competition and other factors on enterprise efficiency. We analyze 1992-1998 panel data on 14,961 enterprises covering 75 percent of industrial employment, emphasizing the varied sources, geographic scope, intensity, time path, and survival effects of competitive pressures. We find large, positive effects on TFP from competition in domestic product and local labor markets, and from imports and better transportation infrastructure, although the first effect appears only gradually. Non-state firms outperform state enterprises, even after correction for selection bias.

JEL Classification: D24, D4, J42, L1, L33, P23, P31

Suggested Citation

Brown, J. David and Earle, John S., Competition and Firm Performance: Lessons from Russia (March 2000). SITE Working Paper No. 154, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=222229 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.222229

J. David Brown (Contact Author)

US Census Bureau Center for Economic Studies ( email )

4600 Silver Hill Road
Washington, DC 20233
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301-763-8769 (Phone)
301-763-5935 (Fax)

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

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John S. Earle

George Mason University - Schar School of Policy and Government ( email )

3351 Fairfax Drive
MS 3B1
Arlington, VA 22201
United States
703-993-8023 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://earle.gmu.edu

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany