IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/wdevel/v105y2018icp400-415.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Small firms, structural change and labor productivity growth in Africa: Evidence from Tanzania

Author

Listed:
  • Diao, Xinshen
  • Kweka, Josaphat
  • McMillan, Margaret

Abstract

At roughly 4 percent per annum, labor productivity in Tanzania grew more rapidly between 2002 and 2012 than at any other time in recent history. Roughly 80 percent of this productivity growth is accounted for by structural change as employment shares in agriculture declined while employment shares in services and manufacturing rose. Although employment in the formal sector has increased, the bulk of employment growth is accounted for by firms in the informal sector; these informal firms contributed more than one percentage point to economywide labor productivity growth. However, 94% of this labor productivity growth came from a very small subset of informal firms that belong to the in-between sector – a term meant to capture the idea that some of the firms in the informal sector share characteristics with firms in formal sector. An argument is made for targeting these firms for financial and other business services as a means of generating sustained and inclusive labor productivity growth in Tanzania’s manufacturing and services sectors.

Suggested Citation

  • Diao, Xinshen & Kweka, Josaphat & McMillan, Margaret, 2018. "Small firms, structural change and labor productivity growth in Africa: Evidence from Tanzania," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 400-415.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:105:y:2018:i:c:p:400-415
    DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2017.12.016
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X17304096
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.worlddev.2017.12.016?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. de Mel, Suresh & McKenzie, David J. & Woodruff, Christopher, 2009. "Measuring microenterprise profits: Must we ask how the sausage is made?," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(1), pages 19-31, January.
    2. David McKenzie, 2017. "Identifying and Spurring High-Growth Entrepreneurship: Experimental Evidence from a Business Plan Competition," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 107(8), pages 2278-2307, August.
    3. David McKenzie & Christopher Woodruff, 2008. "Experimental Evidence on Returns to Capital and Access to Finance in Mexico," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 22(3), pages 457-482, November.
    4. Antoinette Schoar, 2010. "The Divide between Subsistence and Transformational Entrepreneurship," NBER Chapters, in: Innovation Policy and the Economy, Volume 10, pages 57-81, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Grimm, Michael & Knorringa, Peter & Lay, Jann, 2012. "Constrained Gazelles: High Potentials in West Africa’s Informal Economy," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(7), pages 1352-1368.
    6. World Bank & International Finance Corporation, 2013. "Doing Business 2014 : Understanding Regulations for Small and Medium-Size Enterprises," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 16204.
    7. Chad Syverson, 2011. "What Determines Productivity?," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 49(2), pages 326-365, June.
    8. Áureo De Paula & José A. Scheinkman, 2011. "The Informal Sector: An Equilibrium Model And Some Empirical Evidence From Brazil," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 57, pages 8-26, May.
    9. Abhijit V. Banerjee & Esther Duflo, 2007. "The Economic Lives of the Poor," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 21(1), pages 141-168, Winter.
    10. Michael Grimm & Jens Krüger & Jann Lay, 2011. "Barriers To Entry And Returns To Capital In Informal Activities: Evidence From Sub‐Saharan Africa," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 57, pages 27-53, May.
    11. Marcel Fafchamps & Christopher Woodruff, 2017. "Identifying Gazelles: Expert Panels vs. Surveys as a Means to Identify Firms with Rapid Growth Potential," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 31(3), pages 670-686.
    12. Dani Rodrik, 2014. "The Past, Present, and Future of Economic Growth," Challenge, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 57(3), pages 5-39.
    13. World Bank, 2016. "World Development Indicators 2016," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 23969.
    14. Suresh de Mel & David McKenzie & Christopher Woodruff, 2009. "Returns to Capital in Microenterprises: Evidence from a Field Experiment," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 124(1), pages 423-423.
    15. Moyo, Busani, 2013. "Power infrastructure quality and manufacturing productivity in Africa: A firm level analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 1063-1070.
    16. Lewis, W Arthur, 1979. "The Dual Economy Revisited," The Manchester School of Economic & Social Studies, University of Manchester, vol. 47(3), pages 211-229, September.
    17. Jens Matthias Arnold & Aaditya Mattoo & Gaia Narciso, 2008. "Services Inputs and Firm Productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from Firm-Level Data," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 17(4), pages 578-599, August.
    18. International Finance Corporation & World Bank, 2013. "Doing Business 2013 : Smarter Regulations for Small and Medium-Size Enterprises [Regulaciones inteligentes para las pequeñas y medianas empresas : resumen ejecutivo (Vol. 2)]," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 11857.
    19. Yue Li & Martín Rama, 2015. "Firm Dynamics, Productivity Growth, and Job Creation in Developing Countries: The Role of Micro- and Small Enterprises," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 30(1), pages 3-38.
    20. World Bank & International Finance Corporation, "undated". "Doing Business in Italy 2013 : Smarter Regulations for Small and Medium-Size Enterprises," World Bank Publications - Reports 13331, The World Bank Group.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Mijiyawa,Abdoul Ganiou & Conde,Lancine, 2020. "Structural Change and Productivity Growth in Guinea," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9341, The World Bank.
    2. Mensah, Emmanuel B., 2020. "Is sub-Saharan Africa deindustrializing?," MERIT Working Papers 2020-045, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    3. Andreoni, Antonio & van Huellen, Sophie & Katera, Lucas & Jahari, Cornel, 2024. "How to overcome rent seeking in Tanzania’s skills sector? Exploring feasible reforms through discrete choice experiments," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    4. Jing, Chunxiao & Foltz, Jeremy D., 2024. "Can the Service Sector Lead Structural Transformation in Africa? Evidence from Côte d'Ivoire," 2024 Annual Meeting, July 28-30, New Orleans, LA 343566, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    5. Oriana Bandiera & Ahmed Elsayed & Andrea Smurra & Céline Zipfel, 2022. "Young Adults and Labor Markets in Africa," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 36(1), pages 81-100, Winter.
    6. Emmanuel Mensah & Solomon Owusu & Neil Foster-McGregor & Adam Szirmai, 2023. "Structural Change, Productivity Growth and Labour Market Turbulence in Sub-Saharan Africa," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 32(3), pages 175-208.
    7. John Ssozi & Edward Bbaale, 2019. "The Effects of the Catch-Up Mechanism on the Structural Transformation of Sub-Saharan Africa," Economies, MDPI, vol. 7(4), pages 1-27, November.
    8. Brancati, Emanuele & Di Maio, Michele & Rahman, Aminur, 2024. "Finance, informal competition, and expectations: A firm-level analysis," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    9. Zhao, Nan & Liu, Xiaojie & Zhang, Zizhe, 2022. "Does competition from the informal sector affect firms’ energy intensity? Evidence from China," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 130-142.
    10. Atolia, Manoj & Loungani, Prakash & Marquis, Milton & Papageorgiou, Chris, 2020. "Rethinking development policy: What remains of structural transformation?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    11. Adoho, Franck M. & Doumbia, Djeneba, 2022. "Informal Sector Heterogeneity and Income Inequality: Evidence from The Democratic Republic of Congo," Journal of Economic Development, The Economic Research Institute, Chung-Ang University, vol. 47(4), pages 55-77, December.
    12. Yselle Malah Kuete, 2023. "Framing the change: analysing employment change, (in)adequacy, and (de)feminization in Cameroon's tertiary firms," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2023-108, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    13. Ebrahim Endris & Andualem Kassegn, 2022. "The role of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to the sustainable development of sub-Saharan Africa and its challenges: a systematic review of evidence from Ethiopia," Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 11(1), pages 1-18, December.
    14. Andam, Kwaw S. & Asante, Seth, 2018. "Firm employment, exit, and growth in the food processing sector: Evidence from Ghana," IFPRI discussion papers 1755, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    15. Salinas, Aldo & Ortiz, Cristian & Changoluisa, Javier & Muffatto, Moreno, 2023. "Testing three views about the determinants of informal economy: New evidence at global level and by country groups using the CS-ARDL approach," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 438-455.
    16. Brian McCaig & Nina Pavcnik, 2021. "Entry and Exit of Informal Firms and Development," IMF Economic Review, Palgrave Macmillan;International Monetary Fund, vol. 69(3), pages 540-575, September.
    17. Lema, Nicodemas C. & Ndanshau, Michael O.A. & Luvanda, Eliab G., 2023. "The Impact of Fiscal and Monetary Policy on Structural Transformation: Insights from the Tanzanian Economy," African Journal of Economic Review, African Journal of Economic Review, vol. 11(4), September.
    18. Hanna Berkel & Finn Tarp, 2022. "Informality and Firm Performance in Myanmar," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 58(7), pages 1363-1382, July.
    19. Jean-Philippe Berrou & Damien Girollet, 2019. "A la recherche des « gazelles » du secteur informel urbain africain. Entreprises et entrepreneurs à fort potentiel dans leur environnement socioéconomique et numérique," Working Papers hal-02507441, HAL.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Xinshen Diao & Josaphat Kweka & Margaret McMillan, 2016. "Economic Transformation in Africa from the Bottom Up: Evidence from Tanzania," NBER Working Papers 22889, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Diao, Xinshen & McMillan, Margaret, 2018. "Toward an Understanding of Economic Growth in Africa: A Reinterpretation of the Lewis Model," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 511-522.
    3. Negrete Garcia, Ana Karen, 2018. "Constrained Potential: A Characterisation of Mexican Microenterprises," GIGA Working Papers 309, GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies.
    4. Gonzalez-Uribe, Juanita & Reyes, Santiago, 2021. "Identifying and boosting “gazelles”: evidence from business accelerators," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 103145, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    5. Jean-Philippe Berrou & Damien Girollet, 2019. "A la recherche des « gazelles » du secteur informel urbain africain. Entreprises et entrepreneurs à fort potentiel dans leur environnement socioéconomique et numérique," Working Papers hal-02507441, HAL.
    6. Helke Seitz, 2017. "Microenterprises in Developing Countries: Is there Growth Potential?," DIW Roundup: Politik im Fokus 114, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    7. González-Uribe, Juanita & Reyes, Santiago, 2021. "Identifying and boosting “Gazelles”: Evidence from business accelerators," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 139(1), pages 260-287.
    8. Oriana Bandiera & Ahmed Elsayed & Andrea Smurra & Céline Zipfel, 2022. "Young Adults and Labor Markets in Africa," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 36(1), pages 81-100, Winter.
    9. Pascaline Dupas & Jonathan Robinson, 2013. "Savings Constraints and Microenterprise Development: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Kenya," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 5(1), pages 163-192, January.
    10. Kareem Elhennawi, 2016. "Factors Affecting Business Informality Among Egyptian Opportunity Entrepreneurs: An Exploratory Study," Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship (JDE), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 21(04), pages 1-18, December.
    11. Oriana Bandiera & Robin Burgess & Erika Deserranno & Ricardo Morel & Imran Rasul & Munshi Sulaiman & Jack Thiemel, 2022. "Microfinance and Diversification," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 89(S1), pages 239-275, June.
    12. Strobl, Renate & Wunsch, Conny, 2017. "Does Voluntary Risk Taking Affect Solidarity? Experimental Evidence from Kenya," Working papers 2017/12, Faculty of Business and Economics - University of Basel.
    13. Grimm, Michael & Soubeiga, Sidiki & Weber, Michael, 2021. "Short-Term Impacts of Targeted Cash Grants and Business Development Services: Experimental Evidence from Entrepreneurs in Burkina Faso," IZA Discussion Papers 14892, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    14. Brian McCaig & Nina Pavcnik, 2021. "Entry and Exit of Informal Firms and Development," IMF Economic Review, Palgrave Macmillan;International Monetary Fund, vol. 69(3), pages 540-575, September.
    15. Renate Strobl & Conny Wunsch, 2021. "Risky choices and solidarity: disentangling different behavioural channels," Experimental Economics, Springer;Economic Science Association, vol. 24(4), pages 1185-1214, December.
    16. Rodriguez Torres, Omar, 2021. "How different are necessity and opportunity firms? Evidence from a quantile analysis of the Colombian microenterprise sector," MERIT Working Papers 2021-019, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    17. Delius, Antonia & Sterck, Olivier, 2024. "Cash transfers and micro-enterprise performance: Theory and quasi-experimental evidence from Kenya," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    18. Gonzalez-Uribe, Juanita & Leatherbee, Michael, 2018. "The effects of business accelerators on venture performance: evidence from start-up Chile," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 84553, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    19. Pascaline Dupas & Sarah Green & Anthony Keats & Jonathan Robinson, 2014. "Challenges in Banking the Rural Poor: Evidence from Kenya's Western Province," NBER Chapters, in: African Successes, Volume III: Modernization and Development, pages 63-101, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    20. Silas Kiprono SAMOEI & Edwin Kipyego KIPCHOGE, 2020. "Drivers of Horticultural Exports in Kenya," Journal of Economics and Financial Analysis, Tripal Publishing House, vol. 4(2), pages 27-44.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:105:y:2018:i:c:p:400-415. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/worlddev .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.