Globalization and state capitalism: assessing Vietnam's accession to the WTO

Baccini, Leonardo ORCID: 0000-0002-6027-9192, Impullitti, Giammario and Malesky, Edmund J. (2019) Globalization and state capitalism: assessing Vietnam's accession to the WTO. CEP Discussion Papers (CEPDP1593). London School of Economics and Political Science. Centre for Economic Performance, London, UK.

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Abstract

What do state-owned enterprises (SOEs) do? How do they respond to market incentives? Can we expect substantial efficiency gains from trade liberalization in economies with a strong presence of SOEs? Using a new dataset of Vietnamese firms we document a set of empirical regularities distinguishing SOEs from private _rms. Then we empirically study the effect of the 2007 WTO accession on selection, competition, and productivity. Our results show that WTO entry is associated with higher probability of exit, lower firm profitability, and substantial increases in productivity for private firms but not for SOEs. Our estimates suggest that the overall productivity gains would have been about 40% larger in a counterfactual Vietnamese economy without SOEs. We highlight some economic mechanisms possibly driving these findings through the lenses of a model of trade with heterogeneous private and state-owned firms. The model suggests that political/regulatory barriers to entry and access to credit are key drivers of the different response of SOEs to trade liberalization. Further empirical tests broadly validate these insights.

Item Type:	Monograph (Discussion Paper)
Official URL:	https://cep.lse.ac.uk/_new/publications/discussion...
Additional Information:	© 2019 The Authors
Divisions:	Centre for Economic Performance
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions H Social Sciences > HF Commerce
JEL classification:	F - International Economics > F1 - Trade > F12 - Models of Trade with Imperfect Competition and Scale Economies F - International Economics > F1 - Trade > F13 - Commercial Policy; Protection; Promotion; Trade Negotiations; International Trade Organizations F - International Economics > F1 - Trade > F14 - Country and Industry Studies of Trade P - Economic Systems > P3 - Socialist Institutions and Their Transitions > P31 - Socialist Enterprises and Their Transitions P - Economic Systems > P3 - Socialist Institutions and Their Transitions > P33 - International Trade, Finance, Investment, and Aid
Date Deposited:	22 Nov 2019 14:18
Last Modified:	11 Oct 2024 07:57
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/102602

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