Productivity, Multinationals and Knowledge Spillovers: Evidence from the UK Retail Sector

This paper discusses the impact of foreign-ownership presence on the productivity performance of domestically-owned British retailers. In specific, we investigate the existence of productivity spillovers in the form of knowledge transfer. To guide our estimations, we develop a simple Hotelling model in which we show how the transfer of operational knowledge from MNE to non-MNE retailers, may result to an increase in the productivity of the latter and increased economic activity in the regions with relatively higher concentration of foreign investment. Our empirical estimations lend support to the assumptions upon which the theoretical model is built, while confirming the positive and highly significant impact of these spillovers on the productivity performance of domestic firms. More specifically, using data from the Annual Respondent Dataset (ARD), we find that positive spillovers exist but are mostly confined to the region in which foreign subsidiaries locate. Furthermore, the productivity benefit from regional FDI spillovers increases with the absorptive capacity of domestic retailers.FDI; Multinationals; Productivity; Retailing; Spillovers

Industrial Activity in Indian States: The Role of Infrastructure

We use panel data for fourteen Indian states to assess the influence of public infrastructure on industrial activity, namely productivity, employment, real wages and investment, at the state level and over the period 1974-1998. Our results indicate that the length of national highways has on average the greatest impact on each of the four measures of industrial activity. While the length of national highways and electricity generating capacity are found to be important determinants of state real wages and productivity, total highway length is a key variable in determining the level of investment in fixed capital in each state

Coal desulfurization

A method for enhancing solubilizing mass transport of reactive agents into and out of carbonaceous materials, such as coal. Solubility parameters of mass transfer and solvent media are matched to individual peaks in the solubility parameter spectrum of coals to enhance swelling and/or dissolution. Methanol containing reactive agent carriers are found particularly effective for removing organic sulfur from coals by chlorinolysis

Productivity, Multinationals and Knowledge Spillovers: Evidence from the UK Retail Sector

This paper discusses the impact of foreign-ownership presence on the productivity performance of domestically-owned British retailers. In specific, we investigate the existence of productivity spillovers in the form of knowledge transfer. To guide our estimations, we develop a simple Hotelling model in which we show how the transfer of operational knowledge from MNE to non-MNE retailers, may result to an increase in the productivity of the latter and increased economic activity in the regions with relatively higher concentration of foreign investment. Our empirical estimations lend support to the assumptions upon which the theoretical model is built, while confirming the positive and highly significant impact of these spillovers on the productivity performance of domestic firms. More specifically, using data from the Annual Respondent Dataset (ARD), we find that positive spillovers exist but are mostly confined to the region in which foreign subsidiaries locate. Furthermore, the productivity benefit from regional FDI spillovers increases with the absorptive capacity of domestic retailers

Picking winners: An empirical analysis of the determinants of educational outcomes in India

We use data from the Young Lives longitudinal survey to analyse the effect of socioeconomic conditions and gender on the educational performance of young children in India. In particular, we use data for standardised scores on two cognitive tests: the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) and a maths test. Our results show that there are significant gender differences in the way that household wealth affects the educational performance of children. Specifically, boys born into wealthier households perform significantly better in maths than those from worse‐off economic backgrounds. The effect of wealth on the PPVT is stronger for girls than it is for boys. The results are robust across a range of specifications. The effect of household wealth on performance differed between the genders, even when we focused our analysis on the bottom 10% and top 10% of the performance distribution. One possible explanation for these differences is parental aspirations. We tested this hypothesis and found that boys from wealthier households with higher parental educational aspirations are positively and significantly associated with higher maths scores. Further analysis showed that the moderating role of parents’ educational aspirations was more pronounced at the top of the test score distribution, an indication that more able children are associated with wealthier and more ambitious parents

Productivity, Multinationals and Knowledge Spillovers: Evidence from the UK Retail Sector

This paper discusses the impact of foreign-ownership presence on the productivity performance of domestically-owned British retailers. In specific, we investigate the existence of productivity spillovers in the form of knowledge transfer. To guide our estimations, we develop a simple Hotelling model in which we show how the transfer of operational knowledge from MNE to non-MNE retailers, may result to an increase in the productivity of the latter and increased economic activity in the regions with relatively higher concentration of foreign investment. Our empirical estimations lend support to the assumptions upon which the theoretical model is built, while confirming the positive and highly significant impact of these spillovers on the productivity performance of domestic firms. More specifically, using data from the Annual Respondent Dataset (ARD), we find that positive spillovers exist but are mostly confined to the region in which foreign subsidiaries locate. Furthermore, the productivity benefit from regional FDI spillovers increases with the absorptive capacity of domestic retailers

Fostering innovation in renewable energy technologies: Choice of policy instruments and effectiveness

This paper assesses the effectiveness of different types of renewable energy policies (REP) in fostering innovation activity in the OECD electricity sector over the period 1990-2014. More specifically, we collect and analyse data on policy intervention, innovation activity (patent counts per type of renewable technology) and performance for 21 OECD countries from 1990 to 2014. Using the specific characteristics of each policy, we identify all REP in our sample and categorise them to one of three distinct policy types: technology-push, demand-pull, and systemic policy instruments. We then analyse the effects of policy intervention on innovation, by type of policy instrument and by type of technology. Our results show very clearly that one size does not fit all. Innovation activity is found to be more responsive to demand-pull policy instruments only for some technologies (e.g. geothermal), whereas for others a more mixed approach maybe more effective (e.g. wind). And sometimes policies that are designed to target only one technology are more effective in fostering innovation than multi-technology ones (as in the case of solar). Overall, we find that demand-pull policies have been more effective than any other type of policy intervention in driving innovation in renewable energy technologies

Health and Well-being of Young People in Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam: Life Course Impacts

Using data from four waves of the Young Lives longitudinal survey, we follow the lives of 3,064 eight-year-old children over 12 years in four developing countries (Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam) to explore the links between children’s lives and their health and wellbeing in early adulthood. We apply a novel combination of sequence analysis with clustering and difference-in-differences estimation techniques to identify links between health and wellbeing outcomes in early adulthood and six distinct clusters grouping similar life course pathways. The latter are characterised by family living conditions, economic status and experience of critical life events (including economic shocks). Our results indicate that there were significant differences in health and wellbeing between children in the most advantaged and less advantaged clusters. These wellbeing gaps all narrowed over time but only completely closed for one cluster. In contrast, only some of the initial health gaps narrowed. These results suggest that policy aimed at improving health and wellbeing outcomes in early adulthood needs to focus on supporting disadvantaged young children

Well-being and employment of young people in Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam: Is work enough?

Motivation: Investing in youth employment is central to development agendas. However, policy directed towards increasing employment rates among young people needs to consider the well-being implications of the different kinds of jobs they are able to access. This would help countries to meet the Sustainable Development Goal of decent work for all, including young people, by 2030. Purpose: This article examines the association between the well-being of young people in Ethiopia, Peru, India, and Vietnam and their employment and the job attributes of the work they do. Methods and approach: The study uses five waves of the Young Lives longitudinal survey for a sample of children who are followed from the ages of eight to 22. Regression analysis estimates the relationship between well-being, employment, and job attributes, taking into account gender, wealth, current, and childhood health, and exposure to shocks over life-courses from the age of eight. Findings: The results show that in these four countries, employment does not have an unqualified positive effect on well-being. Not all jobs are “good jobs.” Job attributes matter, specifically, who employs the individual, their pay, the work environment, and the pride they take in their work. Well-being is predicted by current and childhood health and household wealth with ownership of consumer durables associated more strongly with well-being than housing quality or access to services. Greater exposure to shocks from the age of eight is found to have lasting effects on well-being into young adulthood. Policy implications: Policy aimed at improving young people’s opportunities for employment in the Global South also to consider the types of jobs they are able to access and how this impacts their well-being. Policy also needs to take into account pre-labour market conditions and circumstances