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Firm Size Distribution, Production Efficiency, and Returns to Scale: A Stochastic Frontier Approach

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Abstract

This paper empirically investigates the relationship between firm size, production efficiency, and returns to scale. Using a recently developed stochastic frontier approach and data from Vietnam, our analysis shows that across all of the sectors we consider, production efficiency is most variable among middle-sized firms, with these firms across all sectors tending to have the lowest production efficiency. While most firms across different sized groups show constant returns-to-scale technologies, our analysis using Spearman coefficients shows that there is a significant difference in technologies and this difference varies substantially across size groups in all sectors. Furthermore, we show that the least-efficient size also differs across sectors. Although our analysis is a snapshot of the Vietnamese manufacturing industry, the diverse production efficiencies in the middle-sized groups can be thought of as a risk that small-sized firms would face in expanding their business.

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  • Hien Thu Pham & Shino Takayama, 2017. "Firm Size Distribution, Production Efficiency, and Returns to Scale: A Stochastic Frontier Approach," Discussion Papers Series 581, School of Economics, University of Queensland, Australia.
  • Handle: RePEc:qld:uq2004:581
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    Cited by:

    1. Hien Thu Pham & Shino Takayama, 2017. "Revisiting the “Missing Middle”: Productivity Analysis," Discussion Papers Series 580, School of Economics, University of Queensland, Australia.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Firm size distribution; Missing middle; Productivity; Efficiency; Stochastic frontier;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D21 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Theory
    • D22 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Empirical Analysis
    • L25 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Performance

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