Template-type: ReDif-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Arias Ortiz E. 
Author-Name: Crespi G.A. 
Author-Name: Rasteletti A. 
Author-Name: Vargas F. 
Author-workplace-name: UNU-MERIT
Title: Productivity in services in Latin America and the Caribbean
Abstract: This paper studies productivity in Latin America and the Caribbean, with  an emphasis on the service sector. It shows that the low levels of  productivity observed in the region are not only a consequence of low  productivity at the firm level, but also of misallocation of workers  across firms. These problems are more severe in services than in  manufacturing. We also found that the determinants of productivity and  employment growth at the firm level are different in manufacturing and  services. Furthermore, results suggest that institutional factors might  be important for determining productivity growth and resource  allocation, as there are large differences across countries in the  region in the effect of productivity on employment growth as well as on  the speed at which less productive firms can close their productivity  gaps.
Keywords: Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity: General; Measurement of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence; Economywide Country Studies: Latin America; Caribbean; 
Classification-JEL: O40; O47; O54; .
Series:  Working Papers
Creation-Date: 2014
Number: 056
File-URL: http://pub.maastrichtuniversity.nl/2c4df79c-2029-4866-b5bd-5d49f2e7bcf5
File-Format: application/pdf
File-Size: 468570
Handle: RePEc:unm:unumer:2014056