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Business and Economics > Production and Operations Management

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Cover IMF Working Papers
Government Debt and Growth: The Role of R&D
Can Sever
Economic growth in the advanced economies (AEs) has been slowing down since the early 2000s, while government debt ratios have been rising. The recent surge in debt at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic has further intensified concerns about these phenomena. This paper aims to offer insight into the high-debt low-growth environment in AEs by exploring a causal link from government debt to future growth, specifically through the impact of debt on R&D activities. Using data from manufacturing industries since the 1980s, it shows that (i) government debt leads to a decline in growth, particularly in R&D-intensive industries; (ii) the differential effect of government debt on these industries is persistent; and (iii) more developed or open financial systems tend to mitigate this negative impact. These findings contribute to our understanding of the relationship between government debt and growth in AEs, given the role of technological progress and innovation in economic growth.
Keywords:
Government debt; fiscal policy; economic growth; R&D; innovation; financial development; economic growth in the advanced economies; R&D activity; impact of debt; debt level; affect tax dynamics; Financial sector development; Manufacturing; Productivity; Aging; Global
Cover Selected Issues Papers
Spillovers from China’s Growth Slowdown to the Singapore Economy: Singapore
Kodjovi M. Eklou
,
Shujaat Khan
, and
Margaux MacDonald
This paper examines the impact of China's economic deceleration on Singapore, highlighting how the deepening trade integration and China's pivotal role in Global Value Chains (GVCs) amplify these spillover effects. Utilizing multi-region input-output tables, empirical estimates, and the IMF's Global Integrated Monetary and Fiscal model, it identifies significant sectoral and aggregate impacts, particularly in electrical and machinery manufacturing, petrochemicals, and financial services. The analysis underscores the vulnerability of Singapore's economy to shifts in Chinese demand and productivity, emphasizing the need for vigilant monitoring and strategic adaptation to mitigate potential risks associated with China's slowdown.
Keywords:
China; ASEAN; Growth Spillovers; Input-output table; Local projections; General equilibrium model; Global value chains; IMF China growth projection; China growth shock; Singapore economy; growth slowdown; growth shock; Spillovers; Exports; Productivity; Southeast Asia; Global; Asia and Pacific
Cover IMF Working Papers
Unveiling the Hidden Impact of Urban Land Rents on Total Factor Productivity
Mr. Bas B. Bakker
This paper addresses the puzzling decline of Total Factor Productivity (TFP) levels in rapidly growing economies, such as Singapore, despite advancements in technology and high GDP per capita growth. The paper proposes that TFP growth is not negative; instead, standard growth decompositions have underestimated TFP growth by overestimating the contribution of capital, failing to account for the substantial part of capital income directed to urban land rents. This leads to an overestimation of changes in capital stock's contribution to growth and thereby an underestimation of TFP growth. A revised decomposition suggests that TFP growth in economies with high land rents and rapid capital stock growth, such as Singapore, has been considerably underestimated: TFP levels have not declined but increased rapidly.
Keywords:
Total Factor Productivity; Economic Growth; Capital Stock; Land Rents; Growth Decomposition; Urban Economics; Population Density; Diminishing Returns to Scale; Technological Progress; Singapore; TFP level; re-estimating TFP; land rent; decline of total factor productivity; Capital income; Stocks; Land prices; Asia and Pacific
Cover Technical Notes and Manuals
User Manual for the DIGNAD Toolkit
Mr. Zamid Aligishiev
,
Cian Ruane
, and
Azar Sultanov
This note is a user’s manual for the DIGNAD toolkit, an application aimed at facilitating the use of the DIGNAD model (Debt-Investment-Growth and Natural Disasters) by economists with no to little knowledge of MATLAB and Dynare via a user-friendly Excel-based interface. DIGNAD is a dynamic general equilibrium model of a small open economy developed at the International Monetary Fund. The model can help economists and policymakers with quantitative assessments and policy scenario analysis of the macrofiscal effects of natural disasters and adaptation infrastructure investments in low-income developing countries and emerging markets. DIGNAD is tailored to disaster-prone countries, which typically are small countries or low-income countries that are particularly exposed to large climate shocks—countries where shocks that can disrupt the entire economy are frequent. However, DIGNAD can be relevant also for larger countries that may potentially be exposed to extreme climatic disasters in the future.
Keywords:
natural disasters; adaptation; resilient infrastructure; public investment; public investment efficiency; debt sustainability; DIGNAD toolkit; IMF copyright; DIGNAD model; GNU General Public License; third-party software; Infrastructure; Public investment spending; Total factor productivity; Depreciation; Sub-Saharan Africa
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Panama: Selected Issues
International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.
This Selected Issues paper presents the main features and weaknesses of the current Panamanian tax system and provides an international comparison of its performance. Panama’s macroeconomic performance has been notably robust. Panama’s macroeconomic performance has been notably robust, but Panama’s tax collection has been historically low. A tax system without adequate revenues led to chronic fiscal deficits and a lack of resources to invest in human capital (education and health) and promote social inclusion policies. In addition, the tax system is notably regressive, and several rules are very inefficient and distortive contradicting the overall policy objective of the country to attract investment. Taxation of the business sector is very complex. On the other hand, the system is very generous regarding benefits. Overall, the desirable reform direction is clear: A reduction in tax incentives, following their analysis, as well as stronger anti-abuse provisions, and revenues from an international minimum tax can finance reductions in the inefficient parts of the tax system, such as the multiple business taxes and the strict loss carry forward.
Keywords:
VAT indicator; directorate General; C. consumption tax; tax comparison; revenue performance; International reserves; Total factor productivity; Tax incentives; Corporate income tax; Caribbean; Central America; South America; Global; Asia and Pacific
Cover Departmental Papers
Accelerating Innovation and Digitalization in Asia to Boost Productivity
Ms. Era Dabla-Norris
,
Mr. Tidiane Kinda
,
Kaustubh Chahande
,
Hua Chai
,
Yadian Chen
,
Alessia De Stefani
,
Yosuke Kido
,
Fan Qi
, and
Alexandre Sollaci
COVID-19 hit on the back of weakening productivity growth in many advanced and emerging Asian countries, a trend that could be exacerbated by the pandemic. Interestingly, productivity growth in the region was slowing even amid increased innovation effort, as proxied by spending on research and development (R&D) and number of patents. A key element underpinning this disconnect is the growing dispersion in productivity growth, innovation effort, and digitalization across and within sectors. Asia has risen to become an innovation powerhouse, contributing to more than half of world patents. The rise of Asia as an innovation hub has been driven by a few frontier countries that have experienced a sharp increase in digital and computer-related patents, supported by solid R&D spending and a large share of researchers in the labor force. Within countries, R&D has become more concentrated in a smaller share of firms in frontier Asia. Empirical evidence using firm-level data highlight that the high concentration in R&D is associated with large dispersion in productivity. External exposure to competition and innovation, including through trade, supports innovation and help close productivity gaps for firms closer to the frontier. Non-frontier Asian developing countries have benefited from technology diffusion through a higher share of imported high-technology goods and by granting more patents to non-residents, supported by improvements in human capital and digital infrastructure. For these countries, further integration to the international economy, including global value chains, greater entrepreneurship, and expanding innovative labour supply could support productivity by encouraging innovation, including process innovation which is associated with larger productivity at the firm-level. Policies to foster innovation, reduce productivity gaps, and ultimately boost aggregate productivity can be grouped into two buckets. For countries close to the technological frontier, R&D tax credits and grants, business-university R&D collaboration, and lower trade barriers would support broader-based innovation and help close productivity gaps. For countries farther from the frontier, further improvements in digital infrastructure, skilled labor force, openness to trade and FDI, and patent protection, could promote resource reallocation to the most productive firms and enhance incentives for technological adoption, supporting diffusion and higher productivity.
Keywords:
Innovation digitalization technological diffusion productivity dispersion aggregate productivity growth; B. firm Heterogeneity; firm productivity distribution; productivity dispersion; capital-intensive firm; firm size; Productivity; Digitalization; Total factor productivity; Emerging technologies; Asia and Pacific; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Singapore: Selected Issues
International Monetary Fund. Asia and Pacific Dept
Selected Issues
Keywords:
consumption growth; issuance industry breakdown; cash use; E-payment infrastructure; employment loss; consumption expenditure distribution; short term labor market; Climate finance; Consumption; Climate change; Productivity; Global; Asia and Pacific; Europe
Cover IMF Working Papers
Why U.S. Immigration Matters for the Global Advancement of Science
Ruchir Agarwal
,
Patrick Gaulé
, and
Geoff Smith
This paper studies the impact of U.S. immigration barriers on global knowledge production. We present four key findings. First, among Nobel Prize winners and Fields Medalists, migrants to the U.S. play a central role in the global knowledge network—representing 20-33% of the frontier knowledge producers. Second, using novel survey data and hand-curated life-histories of International Math Olympiad (IMO) medalists, we show that migrants to the U.S. are up to six times more productive than migrants to other countries—even after accounting for talent during one’s teenage years. Third, financing costs are a key factor preventing foreign talent from migrating abroad to pursue their dream careers, particularly for talent from developing countries. Fourth, certain ‘push’ incentives that reduce immigration barriers—by addressing financing constraints for top foreign talent—could increase the global scientific output of future cohorts by 42 percent. We concludeby discussing policy options for the U.S. and the global scientific community.
Keywords:
Immigration; Science; Talent; Universities; WP; IMO medalist; migrants to the U.S.; IMO participant; productivity regression; IMO point; Migration; Productivity; Income; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
The Return of the Policy That Shall Not Be Named: Principles of Industrial Policy
Reda Cherif
and
Fuad Hasanov
Industrial policy is tainted with bad reputation among policymakers and academics and is often viewed as the road to perdition for developing economies. Yet the success of the Asian Miracles with industrial policy stands as an uncomfortable story that many ignore or claim it cannot be replicated. Using a theory and empirical evidence, we argue that one can learn more from miracles than failures. We suggest three key principles behind their success: (i) the support of domestic producers in sophisticated industries, beyond the initial comparative advantage; (ii) export orientation; and (iii) the pursuit of fierce competition with strict accountability.
Keywords:
WP; private sector; government failure; learning by doing; Industrial policy; technology; innovation; growth; diversification; market share; physical capital; export intensity; document state intervention; government intervention; construction company; Exports; Manufacturing; Comparative advantage; Productivity; Income; East Asia; Africa
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Singapore: Selected Issues
International Monetary Fund. Asia and Pacific Dept
This Selected Issues paper develops a new calibrated model of the Singapore economy, the Singapore Global Policy MODel (SGPMOD), and uses it to conduct a variety of policy experiments focused on the conduct of monetary policy. The SGPMOD is used to illustrate the role of the monetary policy responses of Singapore’s monetary authority following a variety of domestic and external shocks. It is suggested that monetary policy can do little to prevent the trough in real GDP in late 2016, but it can definitely contribute to a speedier recovery. In the near term, there is general global turbulence in exchange rate markets, exacerbating the negative effects from Singapore’s transmission mechanism and its reliance on the uncovered interest parity condition.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; interest rate; monetary policy; exchange rate; reaction function; core inflation; MAS monetary policy response; transmission mechanism; target NEER; Singapore economy; Output gap; Short term interest rates; Exchange rates; Inflation; Potential output; Asia and Pacific; Global