Competition in the Service Sector and the Performances of Manufacturing Firms: Does Liberalization Matter?

Services form an increasing proportion of the inputs used in manufacturing. We explore empirically whether competition in the service sector affects downstream manufacturing firms’ efficiency, via the inputs used. Using French micro-data for services, we calculate proxies for competition in services, and then use Input-Output matrices to link services to manufacturing sectors. we find that there is a positive and significant relation between the extent of competition and firms’ productivity.services liberalization, productivity, input-output tables, competition

Irish firms' productivity and imported inputs

In this paper, we empirically analyze the evolution of firms’ productivity and how the efficiency changes with variations in the inputs’ origin. Using firm-level information on a sample of Irish firms, we assess the importance of the imported inputs’ quota for a firm’s efficiency, as well as starting import activity. The main findings are that an increase in the intensive margin of imports raises firms’ efficiency of domestic firms; in addition heterogeneous effects across firms are detected. Unlike the findings of most of the literature, there is weak evidence of self-selection in import activity; differently from previous research when we introduce fixed effects, the self-selection disappears. Instead, the few observed firms that start importing raise their productivity compared to non-importing firms; learning by importing is suspected. The results suggest an important policy implication: policies that favor the imports of intermediates enhance the productivity of domestic firms, making them more competitive in the international markets.firms' productivity, inputs, import, Ireland

Liquidity Constraints and Firm’s Export Activity

This paper will assess the importance of internal firm resources in overcoming sunk entry costs associated with export. When firms are not able to raise additional external funds for investments, they are credit-constrained, and in such a case, new exporters have to rely on their internal liquidity to pay sunk costs. Using a data set of small and medium size Italian enterprises (SMEs), we find that entry probability in the export market is affected by the level of cash stock for constrained firms. We propose a methodology used to identify a priori constrained firms, employing index analysis as used in business economics. The estimation of the Euler equation for investments confirms the fitness of our classification. In addition we find that exporters show higher liquidity if they raise the number of destinations. Finally, we do not find evidence that entry in the export market improves firm\'s financial health, while ex-ante new entrants are found to be relatively more leveraged.Productivity, Credit constraints, Heterogenous firms, Trade

Skill-upgrading in European textiles resulting from trade with China: firm-level evidence.

In this paper we study the effect of import competition from China on the Belgian textiles sector. Our analysis comprises both trade data and firm-level data. We study the evolution of the unit values in textiles exported from China into the EU versus textiles exported from Belgium to the rest of the EU over the past ten years. We clearly find evidence of a widening price gap between Chinese and Belgian textiles export prices. Chinese textiles seem to become relatively cheaper over time. These findings are in line with Schott (2004; 2007) who argues that capital abundant countries in the US and Europe use their endowment advantage to produce product varieties that are superior in quality compared to labour intensive countries like China. Next we use firm-level data on Belgian textiles firms in search of evidence of quality and skill upgrading in Belgian textiles exports. We study the evolution of firm-level variables such as R&D outlays, the proportion of skilled and unskilled labour used in production and capital intensity. Both China’s entry into the WTO and the end of the Multi-Fibre Agreement significantly seem to cause important shifts in firm level production processes. A very robust result that emerges from the analysis is the one of skill upgrading. While over the past ten years total employment in the Belgian textiles sector has substantially decreased, the ratio of skilled versus unskilled workers has gone up significantly. The evidence is indicative that the Belgian textile sector has been undergoing substantial changes. It is becoming smaller but at the same time seems to be responding to the competition from a low-wage country like China by increasing the skill-content of its products and moving up the quality ladder.skill upgrading; textiles;

Chinese Import Competition and Skill Upgrading in European Textiles.

In this paper we study the effect of import competition from China on the Belgian textiles sector. Our analysis comprises both trade data and firm-level data. We study the evolution of the unit values in textiles exported from China into the EU versus textiles exported from Belgium to the rest of the EU over the past ten years. We clearly find evidence of a widening price gap between Chinese and Belgian textiles export prices. Chinese textiles seem to become relatively cheaper over time. These findings are in line with Schott (2004; 2007) who argues that capital abundant countries in the US and Europe use their endowment advantage to produce product varieties that are superior in quality compared to labour intensive countries like China. Next we use firm-level data on Belgian textiles firms in search of evidence of quality and skill upgrading in Belgian textiles exports. We study the evolution of firm-level variables such as R&D outlays, the proportion of skilled and unskilled labour used in production and capital intensity. Both Chinaâs entry into the WTO and the end of the Multi- Fibre Agreement significantly seem to cause important shifts in firm level production processes. A very robust result that emerges from the analysis is the one of skill upgrading. While over the past ten years total employment in the Belgian textiles sector has substantially decreased, the ratio of skilled versus unskilled workers has gone up significantly. The evidence is indicative that the Belgian textile sector has been undergoing substantial changes. It is becoming smaller but at the same time seems to be responding to the competition from a low-wage country like China by increasing the skill-content of its products and moving up the quality ladder.textiles; import competition;

Competition in the service sector and the performances of manufacturing firms: Does liberalization matter?

Services form an increasing proportion of the inputs used in manufacturing. We explore empirically whether competition in the service sector affects downstream manufacturing firms' efficiency, via the inputs used. Using French micro-data for services, we calculate proxies for competition in services, and then use Input-Output matrices to link services to manufacturing sectors. we find that there is a positive and significant relation between the extent of competition and firms' productivity

Relación entre la psicología y las políticas públicas en el marco de la inclusión a derechos del otro : (excluido pobre marginado)

El siguiente escrito es un ensayo que busca realizar un análisis de la noción de comunidad en nuestro pasado reciente en el marco de un Estado con fuerte incidencia en la vida de los ciudadanos. Entendiendo que en su intervención se presenta en una contante tensión entre valores de la época que conforman subjetividades y degradan la tierra donde lugar el Estado como sus ciudadanos viven y mueren. Se cuestiona acerca de las actuales políticas públicas y preguntar ¿son un modo de disimular la histórica dominación de los que tienen el poder y por tanto abría que indagar cuales son las exclusiones que esconden los enlaces? ¿el discurso de las políticas públicas es el discurso del poder y al dar la palabra al otro se la asimila al discurso del mismo? ¿El Otro es el que se suprime? Y por otra parte, ¿en su noción de comunidad continúa la normativización y la tendencia a constituir identidades "soportables" para incluir en una aparente integración al circuito capitalista? De ser así ¿es posible el cumplimiento de los DDHH que se dice ser universales? ¿qué papel puede cumplir el psicólogo como profesión y como ciencia en estas problemáticas?Fil: Forlani, Matias. Universidad Nacional de San Luis

Terrain classification by cluster analisys

The digital terrain modelling can be obtained by different methods belonging to two principal categories: deterministic methods (e.g. polinomial and spline functions interpolation, Fourier spectra) and stochastic methods (e.g. least squares collocation and fractals, i.e. the concept of selfsimilarity in probability). To reach good resul ts, both the fi rst and the second methods need same initial suitable information which can be gained by a preprocessing of data named terrain classification. In fact, the deterministic methods require to know how is the roughness of the terrain, related to the density of the data (elevations, deformations, etc.) used for the i nterpo 1 at ion, and the stochast i c methods ask for the knowledge of the autocorrelation function of the data. Moreover, may be useful or very necessary to sp 1 it up the area under consideration in subareas homogeneous according to some parameters, because of different kinds of reasons (too much large initial set of data, so that they can't be processed togheter; very important discontinuities or singularities; etc.). Last but not least, may be remarkable to test the type of distribution (normal or non-normal) of the subsets obtained by the preceding selection, because the statistical properties of the normal distribution are very important (e.g., least squares linear estimations are the same of maximum likelihood and minimum variance ones)

Uav block geometry design and camera calibration: A simulation study

Acknowledged guidelines and standards such as those formerly governing project planning in analogue aerial photogrammetry are still missing in UAV photogrammetry. The reasons are many, from a great variety of projects goals to the number of parameters involved: camera features, flight plan design, block control and georeferencing options, Structure from Motion settings, etc. Above all, perhaps, stands camera calibration with the alternative between pre-and on-the-job approaches. In this paper we present a Monte Carlo simulation study where the accuracy estimation of camera parameters and tie points’ ground coordinates is evaluated as a function of various project parameters. A set of UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) synthetic photogrammetric blocks, built by varying terrain shape, surveyed area shape, block control (ground and aerial), strip type (longitudinal, cross and oblique), image observation and control data precision has been synthetically generated, overall considering 144 combinations in on-the-job self-calibration. Bias in ground coordinates (dome effect) due to inaccurate pre-calibration has also been investigated. Under the test scenario, the accuracy gap between different block configurations can be close to an order of magnitude. Oblique imaging is confirmed as key requisite in flat terrain, while ground control density is not. Aerial control by accurate camera station positions is overall more accurate and efficient than GCP in flat terrain