بهره وری و همگرایی در هند: سطح اول تجزیه و تحلیل دولت

Total factor productivity plays an important role in the growth of the Indian economy. Using state-level data from 1993 to 2005 that were recently made available, we find widespread regional variation in productivity changes. In the years immediately following economic liberalization, productivity growth improved technical efficiency; however, in subsequent years, productivity growth was propelled by technological progress. We find a tendency toward convergence with regard to productivity growth among states; however, the states that were technically efficient when the economic reforms were instituted remained innovative in later years.

Balanced regional development has always been one of the major objectives of India's national policy. In the post-liberalization period (post-1991), there has been a significant increase in the economic disparity between the states (Rao, 2008). Approximately 72% of India's poor, and half of its population is located in six states: Uttar Pradesh (including Uttaranchal), Bihar (including Jharkhand), Madhya Pradesh (including Chhattisgarh), Maharashtra, West Bengal and Orissa. Previous analyses measuring the effects of economic reforms on economic performance have largely considered either the economy as a whole (e.g., Bosworth et al., 2007) or individual sectors (e.g., Goldar, 2004 and Kumar, 2006, for the manufacturing sector). In the literature, only a few attempts have been made to explicitly analyze regional growth (e.g., Ahluwalia, 2000 and Sachs et al., 2002). Moreover, economic liberalization enhances interstate competition while minimizing the role of the central government in reducing regional imbalances through regulation. The gains from competitive federalism are linked to the relative strength of competing jurisdictions (Breton, 1996). Therefore, an analysis that measures increases in total factor productivity (TFP) at the state level should be of special interest because one of the major objectives of the 1991 economic reforms was to improve the productive efficiency of the economy.

There has been extensive research on the topic of economic growth and productivity during the last two decades (e.g., Liao et al., 2007 and Nghiem and Coelli, 2002). The previous research, however, focused on aggregated growth accounting and sectoral-level productivity in India. Because capital data have recently been made available at the state level, a state-level empirical analysis that involves more flexible assumptions is now possible. Our study contributes to the existing literature by providing a detailed analysis of productivity and its determinants at the state level using the most up-to-date database.