بهره وری کدام یک در استخراج مواد معدنی بیشتر است - شرکت های خصوصی و یا شرکت های دولتی؟: بررسی صنعت و معدن هند

Most of the developing countries across the world have opened up their mining industry for private sector participation since late 1980s with a view to increase the overall efficiency of the mineral extraction. But are the private mining firms really efficient than the public sector firms? In such a context this paper compares the extraction efficiency of public and private mining firms in India by assessing their Total Factor Productivity (TFP). The study reveals that TFP levels of private firms are significantly higher than that of public firms in metallic, non-metallic and coal mining sectors. TFP levels of private firms in non-metallic sector are almost double that of public firms. Similarly, private firms in metallic and coal mining industry are one and half times more productive than public firms. In such a context, we can suggest that private participation in the mining industry may boost the overall productivity of the sector.

Most of the developing countries across the world have opened up their mining industry for private sector participation since late 1980s with a view to increase the efficiency of mineral extraction. The participation of private players is expected to increase production and overall productivity1 of the mining sector directly and indirectly. It is presumed that private firms are more efficient than their public sector counterparts and their participation will bring in more capital, better technology and superior managerial skills, thus raising the overall productivity of the sector. The participation of private players is supposed to increase competition in the sector and hence inefficient public firms will attempt to raise their productivity levels.

The prime objective of the paper was to examine whether the policy shift of government of India to attract private investment will be beneficial for raising the overall efficiency of the mining sector. Keeping this objective in mind we compared the productivity of public and private mining firms in the four sectors during pre- and post-liberalisation period. The comparison of TFP levels of public and private firms between 1988–1989 and 2005–2006 shows the superiority of private companies in three sectors—metallic, non-metallic and coal—during the period of analysis. In the petroleum sector, private firms initially outperformed public firms but eventually TFP levels of public firms exceeded those of private firms in a few years. The productivity gap between public and private firms was highest in the non-metallic sector. Private firms in this sector were almost two times more productive than their public counterparts. Private firms in the metallic and coal sectors were one and half times more productive than their public counterparts.