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Firm productivity, wages, and agglomeration externalities

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  • Fafchamps, Marcel
  • Hamine, Said El

Abstract

Using detailed census data from Morocco, this paper investigates the existence of local externalities in manufacturing. In contrast to many other studies that focus on aggregate employment growth, we examine the effect of externalities on firm-level productivity and wages. Our empirical results show that agglomeration externalities occur through both productivity and wage effects. Returns to specialization are strong and large in magnitude. In accordance with the views of Marshall, Arrow and Romer, the net effect of competition on productivity and wages tends to be negative. Large firms facing no local competition have higher revenues and pay lower wages. We also find some limited evidence in favor of the diversity argument put forth by Jacobs.

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  • Fafchamps, Marcel & Hamine, Said El, 2017. "Firm productivity, wages, and agglomeration externalities," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(2), pages 291-305.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:reecon:v:71:y:2017:i:2:p:291-305
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rie.2016.12.003
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    2. Jörg Peters & Maximiliane Sievert & Christoph Strupat, 2015. "Impacts of a Micro-Enterprise Clustering Programme on Firm Performance in Ghana," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 27(1), pages 99-121, January.
    3. Marco Sanfilippo & Adnan Seric, 2016. "Spillovers from agglomerations and inward FDI: a multilevel analysis on sub-Saharan African firms," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 152(1), pages 147-176, February.
    4. Timo Mitze & Teemu Makkonen, 2020. "When interaction matters: the contingent effects of spatial knowledge spillovers and internal R&I on firm productivity," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 45(4), pages 1088-1120, August.
    5. Joseph Mawejje & Ibrahim Mike Okumu, 2018. "Wages and Labour Productivity in African Manufacturing," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 30(4), pages 386-398, December.
    6. Kenichi Kashiwagi & Erina Iwasaki, 2020. "Effect of agglomeration on technical efficiency of small and medium‐sized garment firms in Egypt," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 32(1), pages 14-26, March.
    7. Karim Badr & Reham Rizk & Chahir Zaki, 2019. "Firm productivity and agglomeration economies: evidence from Egyptian data," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(51), pages 5528-5544, November.
    8. Bigsten, Arne & Gebreeyesus, Mulu & Siba, Eyerusalem & Soderbom, Måns, 2012. "Enterprise Agglomeration, Output Prices, and Physical Productivity: Firm-Level Evidence from Ethiopia," WIDER Working Paper Series 085, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    9. Wei Han & Ying Zhang & Jianming Cai & Enpu Ma, 2019. "Does Urban Industrial Agglomeration Lead to the Improvement of Land Use Efficiency in China? An Empirical Study from a Spatial Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-22, February.
    10. Ilyes Boumahdi & Nouzha Zaoujal & Abdellali Fadlallah, 2021. "Is there a relationship between industrial clusters and the prevalence of COVID‐19 in the provinces of Morocco?," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(S1), pages 138-157, November.
    11. Jörg Peters & Maximiliane Sievert & Christoph Strupat, 2013. "Impacts of a Micro-Enterprise Clustering Program on Firm Performance in Ghana," Ruhr Economic Papers 0407, Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universität Dortmund, Universität Duisburg-Essen.
    12. Carlos Carreira & Luís Lopes, 2020. "How are the potential gains from economic activity transmitted to the labour factor: more employment or more wages? Evidence from the Portuguese context," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(2), pages 319-348, April.
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    14. Eyerusalem Siba & Måns Söderbom & Arne Bigsten & Mulu Gebreeyesus, 2020. "The relationship among enterprise clustering, prices, and productivity in Ethiopia’s manufacturing sector," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(3), pages 831-854, August.
    15. Ridhwan, Masagus M., 2021. "Spatial wage differentials and agglomeration externalities: Evidence from Indonesian microdata," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 573-591.
    16. Kenichi Kashiwagi & Erina Iwasaki, 2024. "Industrial linkage, vertical integration and firm performance: evidence from textile and garment industry in Egypt," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 58(1), pages 803-828, February.
    17. John Rand & Finn Tarp & Neda Trifković & Helge Zille, 2019. "Industrial agglomeration in Myanmar," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2019-3, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    18. Etro, Federico, 2017. "Research in economics and macroeconomics," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(3), pages 373-383.

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