交通基础设施与制造业企业生产率--来自县级高速公路和中国工业企业数据库的证据

Transportation Infrastructure and Productivity of Manufacturing Firms——Evidence from County-level Expressway Data and Chinese Industrial Enterprises Database

现有文献相对缺乏从微观角度对交通基础设施的研究,本文使用2001-2006年县级高速公路和中国工业企业数据库探讨了高速公路能否提高制造业企业生产效率这一问题。高速公路减少了货物运输时间,节约了人员旅行中的时间成本,从而促进了企业与外部市场和大城市服务业的联系。本文的实证结论认为高速公路虽然在总体上对制造业企业生产率的平均影响很小,但是显著提高了小城市企业和距离大城市较远的企业的全要素生产率。大城市及其周边的企业受高速公路影响很小,然而现实的情形却是大部分建设资金都投入到了发达地区和大中城市,广大中西部地区,特别是农村地区的基础设施状况依然严重落后于发达地区和城市。在将来的发展中我们应该缩小地区之间交通基础设施的差距,解决区域发展不平衡问题。

Existing literature is relative lack of research on transportation infrastructure from micro perspective. Using county-level expressway data and Chinese industrial enterprises database, this paper explores whether expressway can enhance productivity of manufacturing firms or not. According to our empirical analysis, expressway can reduce the time of cargo transport and decrease the time cost of travel, and then can promote the linkages of firms with external markets and service sectors in big cities. The conclusion of the empirical analysis argues that, generally, the average effect of expressway on the productivity of manufacturing firms is small; however, expressway can significantly improve the total factor productivity of manufacturing firms in small cities and firms which are far from big cities. Expressway can make important contribution in regional economic integration and reducing the imbalance among regions. So we should narrow the gap of transportation infrastructure among areas so as to improve regional development.