Total factor productivity of Chinese industrial firms: evidence from 2007 to 2017

Abstract

ABSTRACT Accurately measuring industrial total factor productivity (TFP) is considered vital to a country’s economic system. However, in China, the measurement of industrial TFP has been difficult owing to a lack of firm-level data. This study is the first to measure TFP of Chinese industrial enterprises from 2007 to 2017 and makes a rich heterogeneity analysis based on the National Taxation Survey Database (NTSD). Results show that the weighted TFP rises from 3.65 in 2007 to 4.69 in 2017, with an average growth rate of 2.58%. There are obvious differences in industrial TFP among different enterprise sizes, industries, ownership types, export types, and regions, and the growth of TFP tends to have a converge trend. By assessing the ‘Productivity Paradox’ in China, we also find that Chinese exporting manufacturing enterprises are more productive than non-exporting ones.