Industrialization on a Knife's Edge: Productivity, Labor Costs and the Rise of Manufacturing in Ethiopia

Stefano Caria

No 8980, Policy Research Working Paper Series from The World Bank

Abstract: The latest push for industrialization in Ethiopia has attracted much academic and public interest. This paper assesses Ethiopia's competitiveness and attractiveness as an investment destination by comparing domestic productivity and input costs to a sample of manufacturing exporting countries. The paper documents that, in a comparison with Kenya, India or Vietnam, the labor cost advantage of Ethiopian firms is more than offset by low productivity. However, Ethiopia appears competitive when compared to Bangladesh. Capital, firm size, or sectoral composition do not explain the low productivity of the Ethiopian manufacturing sector. Ethiopian firms, however, have worse management, particularly in the area of labor management. The paper concludes by discussing the potential for labor interventions to increase productivity and create the condition for further industrialization.

Keywords: Food&Beverage Industry; General Manufacturing; Textiles; Apparel&Leather Industry; Pulp&Paper Industry; Common Carriers Industry; Construction Industry; Business Cycles and Stabilization Policies; Plastics&Rubber Industry; Skills Development and Labor Force Training; Labor Markets; Private Sector Economics; Macroeconomics and Economic Growth; Economic Policy; Institutions and Governance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019-08-13
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-afr, nep-eff and nep-sea
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:8980

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