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The Quality of Local Government and Firm Performance: The Case of China's Provinces

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  • Choi, Jongmoo Jay
  • Jiang, Cao
  • Shenkar, Oded

Abstract

Extending La Porta, Lopez-de-Silanes, Shleifer, and Vishny (1999), we examine the effect of local government quality on firm performance, since regional and firm research provides a more fine-grained analysis especially in countries where local administration is an integral part of the bureaucratic apparatus. Using a dataset of 7,873 Chinese listed firm-years for 1994–2006, we find a positive relationship between the quality of provincial government and firm performance, controlling for location and firm-specific governance variables. Among various government quality variables, we find that having a special economic zone depicting low taxes and bureaucratic efficiency is the best predictor of firm performance, followed by the degree of marketization, efficient property registration, and environmental protection. Most intriguingly, political freedom has a significant impact on firm performance and productivity, even in a regime where democracy is not practiced. This has never been documented before at a microeconomic level and barely so at a macro level, vindicating Hayek's (1944) theory.

Suggested Citation

  • Choi, Jongmoo Jay & Jiang, Cao & Shenkar, Oded, 2015. "The Quality of Local Government and Firm Performance: The Case of China's Provinces," Management and Organization Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 11(4), pages 679-710, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:maorev:v:11:y:2015:i:04:p:679-710_00
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Andrés Rodríguez‐Pose & Min Zhang, 2019. "Government institutions and the dynamics of urban growth in China," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(4), pages 633-668, September.
    2. The Nguyen Huynh, 2022. "Spatial effects of institutional quality on firm performance: evidence from Vietnam," Asian-Pacific Economic Literature, The Crawford School, The Australian National University, vol. 36(2), pages 89-105, November.
    3. Roberto Ganau & Andrés Rodríguez‐Pose, 2019. "Do high‐quality local institutions shape labour productivity in Western European manufacturing firms?," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 98(4), pages 1633-1666, August.
    4. Evangelos Rasvanis & Vassilis Tselios, 2021. "Do agglomeration economies matter where natural endowments are? Lessons from Greece," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(3), pages 1009-1024, June.
    5. Wang, Boya, 2018. "Ownership, institutions and firm value: Cross-provincial evidence from China," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 547-565.
    6. Yueyang Zhao & Jinzhou Mao & Yueshan Li, 2022. "Local governments’ environmental emphasis and corporate green innovation: evidence from China," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 55(4), pages 2577-2603, November.
    7. Tongxin Yu & Nadeem Khalid & Umair Ahmed, 2021. "Factors Influencing Entrepreneurial Intention among Foreigners in Kazakhstan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-33, June.
    8. Ziliang Liu & Shengjun Zhu, 2021. "Changing institutional context and regional industrial dynamics: New evidence from the establishment of administrative approval centers in China," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(3), pages 1271-1294, September.
    9. Yang Songling & Muhammad Ishtiaq & Muhammad Anwar & Hamid Ahmed, 2018. "The Role of Government Support in Sustainable Competitive Position and Firm Performance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-17, September.
    10. Zhu, Ling & Kong, Dongmin, 2022. "Does government transparency shape firm decentralization? Evidence from a natural experiment in China," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    11. Yulia Muratova & Jakob Arnoldi & Xin Chen & Joachim Scholderer, 2018. "Political rotations and cross-province firm acquisitions in China," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 17(1), pages 37-58, February.
    12. Wang, Xiaoran & Ibrahim, Haslindar, 2024. "Unveiling the effects of mineral markets, fintech and governance on business performance: Evidence from China," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).

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