Efficiency of Commercial Banks in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Comparative Analysis of Domestic and Foreign Banks

Utilizing the stochastic frontier approach, this study conducts a comparative analysis of profit efficiency and cost inefficiency of commercial banks operating in 29 sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries by bank ownership (domestic bank, SSA foreign bank or non-SSA foreign bank), as well as by the bank size during 2000-07. Tobit regressions are employed to assess the impact of environmental factors on the efficiency of commercial banks. The key findings of this empirical analysis suggest that foreign banks tend to outperform domestic banks in terms of profit efficiency. In terms of efficiency by bank size, the smaller the bank, the more profit efficient the bank will be; medium or relatively large banks tend to be the most cost efficient.banking, stochastic frontier, Tobit regression, Africa

Why Is Multinational Status Important? Evidence from Job Creation and Job Destruction in Japan

Previous studies of job creation and job destruction (JCJD) have found that the gross job reallocation rate greatly exceeded the net job creation rate even in a narrowly defined industry or the same international trade orientation. This paper asks whether multinational enterprises (MNEs) reflect different patterns of JCJD compared to domestic firms. We distinguish two types of MNEs (i.e., Japanese MNEs and foreign-owned firms) and utilize firm-level data in Japan for 1995-2002. We find that the gross job reallocation rate may be equal to the net job creation rate once we control for the entry/exit, industry, worker type, and multinational status. Multinational status is important in explaining the heterogeneity of employment patterns among firms.Multinational Firms, Job Creation and Job Destruction, Japan

"Industrial Policy Cuts Two Ways: Evidence from Cotton Spinning Firms in Japan, 1956-1964"

A number of studies have revealed that the effect of industrial policy on productivity growth is negative. Is this because industrial policy fails to control the activities of firms, or because it can effectively control them? This paper attempts to answer these questions, using firm-level data from the cotton spinning industry in Japan for the period 1956-64. It has been determined that industrial policy cut two ways during this period. Industrial policy effectively controlled the output of cotton spinning firms, which contributed to the establishment of a stable market structure during the period. On the flip side, such policy constrained the reallocation of resources from less productive large firms to more productive small firms. Combined with the negative productivity growth of large firms during this period, industrial policy resulted in negative industry productivity growth.

Enhancing the Benefits for India and Other Developing Countries in the Doha Development Agenda Negotiations

This paper utilizes micro-panel data for firms located in Japan and examines differences in static and dynamic corporate performance between foreign-owned and domestically-owned firms in the 1990s. We find that foreign-owned firms not only reflect superior static characteristics but also achieve faster growth. In addition, foreign investors appear to invest in firms that may not be immediately profitable now but those that are potentially the most profitable in the future. The results imply that foreign investors bring useful firm-specific assets into the Japanese market, which may work as an effective catalyst for necessary structural reform.

The Role of Multinational Firms in International Trade: The Case of Japan

This paper examines the role of multinational firms in international trade using firm-level panel data for Japanese firms between 1994 and 2000. Our results indicate that multinational firms dominate Japanese trade. In 2000, only 12.4 percent of Japanese firms were multinationals but they accounted for 93.6 and 81.2 percent of Japanese exports and imports, respectively. We found that multinational firms emerged from being exporters/importers. These results imply that firms do not make the choice of either exporting or undertaking FDI, contrary to the findings of previous studies. Rather, exporters make a decision on whether or not to undertake FDI.Multinational Firms, Foreign Direct Investment, International Trade, Intra-firm Trade

Foreign Technology Acquisition Policy and Firm Performance in Japan, 1957-1970: The Japanese Industrial Policy Revisited (Published in "International Journal of Industrial Organization", Sep2005, Vol. 23 Issue 7/8, p563-586. )

We examine the cause and effect of technology acquisition policy on firm performance, using firm-level data between 1957 and 1970. Our results indicate that in the technology acquisition licensing, the government screened a firm's application, based on (i) the industry that the firm belonged to and (ii) firm's sales ranking in the industry. As a result, large but inefficient firms tended to acquire more technologies before the deregulation. Despite such screening process, the technology acquisition policy did not result in a serious failure. The firms that acquired technology grew much faster than those did not during the regulation period.