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Business and Economics > Production and Operations Management

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Cover Staff Discussion Notes
Industrial Policies: Handle with Care
Sandra Baquie
,
Yueling Huang
,
Florence Jaumotte
,
Jaden Kim
,
Rafael Machado Parente
, and
Samuel Pienknagura
Industrial policies (IPs) are increasingly implemented, necessitating a reassessment of their benefits and costs. This study examines their economic and geopolitical drivers and their impact on targeted sectors. While IPs yield moderate and uneven economic gains, they are more effective when addressing highly-distorted upstream sectors with suitable tools. Structural reforms generally offer greater benefits and strengthen the link between IPs and economic performance. However, IPs may lead to significant fiscal costs and unintended spillovers, potentially accelerating economic fragmentation. Therefore, careful management of IPs is crucial.
Keywords:
Industrial Policies; Economic Performance; Externalities; Spillovers; Policy consideration; drivers of IPs; ips target; correlates of IPs; protectionist IPS; trading partner; value chain; Export subsidies; Structural policies; Structural reforms; Total factor productivity; Global; East Asia
Cover Selected Issues Papers
Growth and Production Network in Chile: Chile
Si Guo
Productivity growth depends not only on technological innovation but also on production networks that amplify its impact. Theory and cross-country evidence indicate a positive relationship between productivity growth and the use of intermediate inputs, a measure of network connectedness. We find that Chile’s intermediate input utilization is significantly lower than that of OECD peers, such as Korea and the Czech Republic, and declined during 2008-21. This is primarily due to weak domestic producer connections and the smaller presence of the manufacturing sector. We argue that diversifying exports from mining, reducing trade costs, and improving contract enforcement could strengthen network linkages and boost growth.
Keywords:
Chile; Productivity; Input-output; production network; D. input-output linkage; A. growth slowdown; network linkage; aggregate productivity growth; Exports; Manufacturing; Total factor productivity; Eastern Europe; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Qatar: Selected Issues
International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.
2024 Selected Issues
Keywords:
AI readiness; AI adoption; B. Qatar's progress; artificial intelligence in Qatar; innovation policy; Export diversification; Capital spending; Exports; Human capital; Global; Middle East; Eastern Europe; Europe
Cover Technical Assistance Reports
Botswana: Technical Assistance Report-Enhancing the Forecasting Policy and Analysis System at the Bank of Botswana
International Monetary Fund. Monetary and Capital Markets Department
At the request of Bank of Botswana, a Technical Assistance mission from the Monetary and Capital Markets (MCM) Department visited Gaborone, Botswana during May 27–31, 2024, to assist the authorities in enhancing their forecasting and policy analysis system (FPAS). The mission assessed and advised on both near-term and medium-term forecasting tools and models currently used by the Bank of Botswana. The mission team helped create a new centralized database and introduced a new flexible platform with a suite of models that expands and complements existing near-term forecasting models. The mission team also improved the medium-term forecasting framework by reviewing model calibration, introducing a fiscal block, and recommending further adjustments.
Keywords:
Monetary Policy; Forecasting and Policy Analysis System; Data Management; Near-term and Medium-term Forecasting Tools; Botswana.; IMF's Monetary; medium term forecasting tool; IMF Monetary; policy analysis system; IMF executive directors; Output gap; Infrastructure; Exchange rate arrangements; Central bank policy rate; Exchange rates; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Europe’s Productivity Weakness: Firm-Level Roots and Remedies
Oyun Erdene Adilbish
,
Diego A. Cerdeiro
,
Romain A Duval
,
Gee Hee Hong
,
Luca Mazzone
,
Lorenzo Rotunno
,
Hasan H Toprak
, and
Maryam Vaziri
Europe faces a well-known productivity malaise, with a large and widening aggregate productivity gap relative to the U.S. In this paper, we provide a novel diagnosis of the firm-level roots of Europe’s productivity growth slowdown through an analysis of data covering the universe of firms in Europe and the U.S over their life cycles. Compared to their U.S. counterparts, we identify critical performance gaps among both Europe’s frontier firms and young high-growth firms. Our firm-level analyses reveal that smaller markets and limited market-based financing are key bottlenecks for frontier European firms, while skill shortages and insufficient risk capital, such as venture capital, hinder the formation and subsequent growth of young firms in Europe. These findings suggest that removing remaining intra-Europe barriers to accelerate factor and product markets integration, alongside national reforms to facilitate swifter resource reallocation and enhance human capital, could help revive Europe’s productivity growth.
Keywords:
Firm-level productivity; business dynamism.; EU accession; productivity weakness; productivity problem; frontier firm; trade Barries; firm Size; Productivity; Trade balance; Trade barriers; Total factor productivity; Europe
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Republic of Korea: Selected Issues
International Monetary Fund. Asia and Pacific Dept
This Selected Issues paper examines the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) in Korea. As a leading innovator and semiconductor producer, Korea is highly exposed to AI. Korea is widely recognized as a leading technology innovator and consistently ranks high on various global innovation indexes. AI usage is rising in Korean firms, notably among large, young, and tech-related firms. Empirical analysis confirms the significant role of firm size, age, and complementary assets in driving AI adoption. AI exposure tends to be higher for high-income groups, but potential gains from AI also increase with income. AI adoption leads to significant output and productivity gains, especially in Scenario 3 featuring both high labor complementarity and high overall productivity. Active and ongoing policy efforts are being made to promote AI adoption while managing potential risks. High labor market duality poses significant challenges for workers to switch jobs, especially for elderly groups. The authorities have taken proactive steps to advance AI development and adoption, expand the AI talent pool, and establish regulations to manage associated risks.
Keywords:
Korea export share; profitability regression; AI adoption; E. AI preparedness; AI usage; Exports; Productivity; Trade tensions; Competition; Global; North America
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Chile: Selected Issues
International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.
The 2024 Article IV Consultation analyzes that the Chilean economy is broadly balanced but modest potential growth has constrained increases in living standards and makes it difficult to address fiscal and social needs. Policy priorities are therefore mainly of structural nature. They include boosting productivity and employment as well as strengthening fiscal, external, and financial sector buffers—particularly in the context of a challenging global environment. Real gross domestic product is expected to expand by 2–2.5 percent in 2025, in line with its potential. Inflation is projected to return to the 3-percent target in early 2026, after the impact of the significant electricity tariff hikes between June 2024 and early 2025 subsides. External risks remain elevated. A cautious data dependent approach to the Expediting investment permit applications and environmental evaluations, fostering an environment for the development of new industries, facilitating R&D, and increasing female labor participation are vital for boosting potential growth.
Keywords:
input-output linkage; housing wealth effect; growth slowdown; real estate sector; risk assessment; Pension spending; Exports; Mortgages; Loans; Global; Eastern Europe
Cover IMF Working Papers
Competitiveness and Productivity in the Baltics: Common Shocks, Different Implications
Saioa Armendariz
,
Carlos de Resende
,
Alice Fan
,
Gianluigi Ferrucci
,
Bingjie Hu
,
Sadhna Naik
, and
Can Ugur
This paper examines competitiveness and productivity in the Baltics. Focusing on recent developments, it asks why Russia’s war in Ukraine led to a prolonged recession and strong decline in competitiveness in Estonia, while Latvia and Lithuania shielded their economies more effectively. The paper starts by documenting a deterioration in export performance across the region. Using a constant share decomposition, it finds that, unlike in Latvia and Lithuania, Estonia’s declining export share has been mainly linked to a reduction in the ‘intensive margin’—a sign of weakening external competitiveness and declining relative productivity. Multivariate filtering techniques and estimates of the real effective exchange rates based on historical productivity trends, consistent with Balassa-Samuelson, confirm that differences in long-term total factor productivity growth have affected external competitiveness. While Estonia’s post-GFC slowdown in productivity growth and real exchange rate appreciation have eroded its competitive edge, Latvia and Lithuania have shown greater resilience, aided by more balanced real effective exchange rates and, for Lithuania, stronger corporate balance sheets. A micro-econometric analysis further reveals that resource misallocation, particularly in the services sector, has been a key driver of declining productivity in the region. These findings underscore the need for targeted reforms to improve allocative efficiency, boost productivity, and restore competitiveness in the Baltic region.
Keywords:
Export shares; Competitiveness; Productivity; Baltics; export share; productivity in the Baltic; resource misallocation; productivity trend; TFP dynamics; TFP deceleration; Total factor productivity; Real effective exchange rates; Real exchange rates; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Drivers of Inflation in the Caucasus and Central Asia
Maria Atamanchuk
,
Alejandro Hajdenberg
,
Dalia Kadissi
,
Giulio Lisi
, and
Nasir H Rao
In parallel with global developments, inflation in the Central Asia and Caucasus (CCA) has exhibited large swings in recent years. This paper investigates inflation dynamics in the CCA and its main drivers and derives conclusions that can inform policymaking. The analysis is based on three empirical approaches. Inflation drivers and its dynamics are investigated through the estimation of a Phillips curve augmented with foreign factors and a panel vector autoregression. The paper also assesses the role of monetary policy in steering inflation outcomes by estimating a local projection model. The paper finds that external factors play a major role in determining CCA inflation dynamics, although domestic factors (e.g., demand conditions, expectations) also contribute. Monetary policy is found to have a statistically significant effect on inflation, including by moderating the impact of external drivers. The findings point to the need to continue strengthening policy frameworks to steer expectations and improve the effectiveness of monetary policy, while establishing adequate social safety nets to cushion the impact from global shocks.
Keywords:
Inflation; Caucasus and Central Asia; Phillips curve; panel VAR; local projection method; monetary policy; CCA inflation dynamics; inflation driver; Phillips Curve estimation; inflation development; inflation outcome; Food prices; Output gap; Nominal effective exchange rate; Oil prices; Global; Central Asia and the Caucasus
Cover Selected Issues Papers
Productivity Shocks to the Pharmaceutical Sector and the Danish Economy: Denmark
Kotaro Ishi
The pharmaceutical industry in Denmark has grown rapidly in recent years. This paper discusses the macroeconomic impact of the pharmaceutical sector. The analysis focuses on Novo Nordisk, the leading pharmaceutical company in Denmark, and its productivity impact on the rest of the economy. Empirical evidence suggests only weak correlations between productivity shocks at Novo Nordisk and overall economic growth, as well as between Novo Nordisk’s productivity and that of other firms. However, we find evidence of a significant within-industry spillover effect in the pharmaceutical sector.
Keywords:
Productivity; spillovers; pharmaceutical; productivity shock; Novo Nordisk's productivity; pharmaceutical industry in Denmark; shocks to Novo Nordisk; macroeconomic impact; Labor productivity; Exports; Employment; Global