Alessandro Sembenelli

Market power, productivity and the EU Single Market Program: Evidence from a panel of Italian firms

Abstract This paper provides empirical evidence on the impact the EU Single Market Program has exerted on market power and total factor productivity in a large sample of Italian firms. Both market power and total factor productivity are estimated by applying several extensions of the methodology developed by Hall. Main findings can be summarised as follows. Firstly, for the sample of ‘1992 most sensitive’ firms market power decreases by 50% in the SMP implementation period compared to previous years, whereas no clear pattern emerges for the other sub-samples of firms. Secondly, and less conclusively, only for the sub-sample of ‘1992 most sensitive’ firms a positive transitory shock to productivity growth rates is observed immediately after the announcement of the reform project. Overall, these results are consistent with the long standing view that economic integration reduces firms’ market power and increases productivity via the removal of non-tariff barriers.

Form of Ownership and Financial Constraints:Panel Data Evidence From Flow of Funds and Investment Equations

This paper analyzes the effects of the form of ownership on the substitutability between internal and external sources of finance in Italy. In particular, we test whether financial constraints are more severe for independent firms compared to members of large national business groups and subsidiaries of foreign multinational corporations. The results obtained from flow of funds and investment equations estimated for a panel of Italian companies imply that independent firms face more severe financial constraints. In fact, not only members of national groups and subsidiaries of multinational corporations find it easier to substitute cash flow with external finance when the former falls but they do not display excess sensitivity to cash flow and debt in their investment decisions.

Are Adjustment Costs for Labor Asymmetric? An Econometric Test on Panel Data for Italy

In this paper we analyze the structure of adjustment costs for labor. In particular, the question whether hiring and firing costs are asymmetric is addressed. We maintain the standard assumption of quadratic adjustment costs, but allow the multiplicative coefficient to differ for the firing and hiring regime. The Euler equations for this problem can be combined into a general model that nests the one with symmetric adjustment costs. The model can be conveniently estimated and the parameter restrictions implied by symmetry easily tested. We also extend the model to allow for variable adjustment coefficients. In the empirical application we use a panel data collected by Ceris on 52 large Italian firms for the period 1958-1988. The general conclusion from the econometric testing is that the hypothesis of symmetric adjustment costs is rejected by the data. Copyright 1993 by MIT Press.

Are multinationality and diversification complementary or substitute strategies? An empirical analysis on European leading firms

Abstract This paper models the multinationality and diversification of firms jointly. It applies a new typology, distinguishing diversification at home and abroad (multinationality in primary/secondary industries), to the corporate structures of a sample of leading EU manufacturing firms. This provides the framework for a sequential stochastic model of firms’ decision making. Results suggest that multinationality and diversification are, in general, complementary strategies. In differentiated-product industries, this implies that proprietary assets are a public good within the firm. In homogeneous-product industries, however, there is some evidence of substitutability, in that the two strategies may be alternative routes for escaping constraints on growth.

Productivity, Innovation Creation and Absorption, and R&D: Micro Evidence for Italy

By exploiting a rich firm level database, this paper presents novel empirical evidence on the impact that the introduction of process and product innovations exerts on productivity, as well as on the role played by R&D and fixed capital investment in enhancing the likelihood of introducing innovations at the firm level. Our results imply that process innovation has a large impact on productivity. Furthermore, R&D spending is strongly positively associated with the probability of introducing a new product, whereas fixed capital spending increases the likelihood of introducing a process innovation. The latter result rejects the fact that new technologies are frequently embodied in new capital goods. However, the effect of fixed investment on the probability of introducing a process innovation is magnified by R&D spending internal to the firm. This implies that, in our sample, R&D affects productivity growth by facilitating the absorption of new technologies.

Does Ownership Affect Firms' Efficiency? Panel Data Evidence on Italy

This paper provides empirical evidence on the relation between the identity of ultimate owners and technical (in)efficiency by estimating stochastic production frontiers on Italian firm level panel data for twelve manufacturing industries over the 1978–93 period. Privately-owned independent firms are used as reference group and their efficiency is assessed against three alternative forms of ownership: subsidiaries of (privately owned) national business groups, subsidiaries of foreign multinationals, and state owned firms. Even if cross-industry differences obviously exist a common pattern can however be identified. Overall, subsidiaries of foreign multinationals (state owned firms) are found to be more (less) efficient than the reference group. On the contrary, no systematic difference is found between independent firms and subsidiaries of national business groups.

Foreign Direct Investment, Competitive Pressure and Spillovers. An Empirical Analysis of Spanish Firm Level Data

A short review of the theoretical and empirical evidence indicates that foreign direct investment (FDI) has the potential to increase the intensity of competition as well as to act as a channel for technology transfers. One would expect, all else equal, an increase in average firm performance following a wave of FDI, as multinational corporations (MNCs) enjoy higher levels of efficiency and have the potential to generate positive spillovers. At the same time, the entry of foreign firms has also been associated with an increase in competitive pressure on the domestic market. Using a large firm level dataset covering all sectors of Spanish manufacturing during the period 1983-96, we disentangle these three effects by estimating a dynamic model of firm level performance, which we proxy by profitability. We find that FDI has a positive long-run effect on the profitability of target firms, but this is limited to firms belonging to R&D intensive sectors. In addition, the results indicate that foreign presence dampens margins. However, this effect appears to be more than compensated by positive spillovers in the case of knowledge intensive industries.

Is excess sensitivity of investment to financial factors constant across firms? Evidence from panel data on Italian companies

Abstract Following Bond and Meghir(1990), the Euler approach is applied to model investment decisions for a sample of large Italian firms. The main feature of the panel is that it includes private as well as state-owned firms, both quoted and unquoted. In the paper some evidence of the existence of sensitivity to cash flow and leverage is provided. Furthermore, it is seen that the effect of financial factors on investment varies across firms according to their institutional characteristics. In particular, state-owned firms appear to be more sensitive to cash flow than privately-owned companies, and quoted firms show more sensitivity to internal finance than unquoted firms. Finally, we also find strong empirical support to the idea that only the smallest firms in the sample pay a premium for debt as a function of leverage. Less conclusive evidence suggests that both unquoted firms and low dividend companies also face distress costs.

Corporate Taxation and the Size of New Firms: Evidence From Europe

Using a novel country-industry level panel database with information on newly incorporated firms in 17 European countries between 1997 and 2004, we study how taxation of corporate income affects the size of entrants at the country-industry level. Our results, that are robust to changes in several assumptions, suggest that a reduction in the effective corporate income tax rate leads to a significant reduction of the capital size of entrants, and to a decrease in their capital-labor ratio.

Why Do Established Firms Enter Some Industries and Exit Others? Empirical Evidence on Italian Business Groups

In this paper the determinants of entry and exitdecisions are analysed empirically on a sample of wellestablished business groups operating in Italianmanufacturing. The focus is on the role of sunk costsas entry barriers. Two competing hypotheses aretested. On the one hand, setup costs, R & D andadvertising outlays act as barriers to entry for bothnew and already established firms because of theirindustry-specific commitment value. On the other hand,they may induce established firms, which operate insimilar industries, to enter. This is the case if R & Dand advertising are firm-specific investments whichgenerate externalities to be efficiently exploited inadjacent industries. Overall results suggest that thesecond hypothesis gives a better picture of thebehaviour of our sample of firms.