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Revisiting the “Missing Middle”: Productivity Analysis

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Abstract
This paper investigates empirically the relationship between firm size and production effi- ciency and inefficiency associated with the production scale. We study the possible sources of the missing middle phenomenon, which refers to the fact that most employment in developing countries is located in either small-sized or large-sized firms. Using Vietnamese data, we show that middle-sized firms’ production efficiencies tend to be lower than small-sized or large-sized firms in most of the manufacturing industries, that the least efficient firm tends to be middle-sized, and that efficiency scores are more diverse for middle-sized firms, which is arguably associated with the uncertainty that a small firm faces when increasing its size. Our work also indicates that the large-sized firms may be unable to fully utilize their inputs.

Suggested Citation

  • Hien Thu Pham & Shino Takayama, 2017. "Revisiting the “Missing Middle”: Productivity Analysis," Discussion Papers Series 580, School of Economics, University of Queensland, Australia.
    • Handle: RePEc:qld:uq2004:580
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    File URL: https://economics.uq.edu.au/files/46240/580.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    firm size distribution; missing middle; productivity; efficiency; data envelopment analysis; free disposal hull;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D21 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Theory
    • D22 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Empirical Analysis
    • L25 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Performance

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