{"title":"Is inflation good for business? the firm-level impact of inflation shocks in the Baltics, 1997–2020","authors":"Serhan Cevik, Alice Fan, Sadhna Naik","doi":"10.1007/s10644-024-09749-z","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>Using a large panel of firm-level data, this paper provides an analysis of how inflation shocks in the Baltics between 1997 and 2020 affected total factor productivity (TFP), gross profitability, and net fixed investment in nonfinancial sectors. First, we find that inflation and inflation volatility had mixed effects on TFP growth, profitability and net fixed investment spending in the first year as well as over the medium term, albeit at a dissipating rate. Second, focusing on subsamples, we find that inflation shocks had differential effects on large versus small firms. Third, we explore sectoral heterogeneity in how firms responded to inflation shocks and observe significant variation across tradable and non-tradable sectors. Finally, estimates from a state-dependent model suggest that firms’ response to inflation shocks varied with the state of the economy. The results suggest that nonfinancial firms in the Baltics have been agile in adjusting to inflation shocks, possibly by either transferring higher production costs to consumers or substituting inputs. Given the differences in the level and nature of the recent inflation shock and the sample period on which our analysis is based, empirical findings presented in this paper might not necessarily apply to the latest bout of inflation in the Baltics.</p>","PeriodicalId":46127,"journal":{"name":"Economic Change and Restructuring","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Economic Change and Restructuring","FirstCategoryId":"96","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10644-024-09749-z","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ECONOMICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Using a large panel of firm-level data, this paper provides an analysis of how inflation shocks in the Baltics between 1997 and 2020 affected total factor productivity (TFP), gross profitability, and net fixed investment in nonfinancial sectors. First, we find that inflation and inflation volatility had mixed effects on TFP growth, profitability and net fixed investment spending in the first year as well as over the medium term, albeit at a dissipating rate. Second, focusing on subsamples, we find that inflation shocks had differential effects on large versus small firms. Third, we explore sectoral heterogeneity in how firms responded to inflation shocks and observe significant variation across tradable and non-tradable sectors. Finally, estimates from a state-dependent model suggest that firms’ response to inflation shocks varied with the state of the economy. The results suggest that nonfinancial firms in the Baltics have been agile in adjusting to inflation shocks, possibly by either transferring higher production costs to consumers or substituting inputs. Given the differences in the level and nature of the recent inflation shock and the sample period on which our analysis is based, empirical findings presented in this paper might not necessarily apply to the latest bout of inflation in the Baltics.
期刊介绍：
Economic Change and Restructuring has been accepted for SSCI and will get its first Impact Factor in 2020!Since the early 1990s fundamental changes in the world economy, under the auspices of increasing globalisation, have taken place
On one hand, the disappearance of the centrally planned economies and the progressive formation of market-oriented economies, have brought about countless systematic changes, where new economic structures, institutions, competences and skills involve complex processes, changes which are still underway and which necessitate adaptation and restructuring to form competitive market economies.
On the other hand, many developing economies are making great strides as regards economic reform and liberalisation, and are emerging as new global players. They show an innovative capacity to position themselves in the global economy and to compete with industrialised countries, which are generally believed to be witnessing the rapid erosion of their established positions. These developments are accompanied by the exacerbation of the world competition.
Both processes involve transition and the emerging economies, in searching for a new role and scope for public policies and for a new balance between public and private partnership, seem to currently be converging, especially with respect to the policies needed to create appropriate and effective market institutions and integrated reform policies, and to increase the standards of the population''s education levels.
Thus, liberalisation and development policies, in attempting to strike a difficult balance between social and environmental needs, must be integrated more coherently. This complexity calls for new analytical and empirical approaches that can explain these new phenomena, which often go beyond the over-simplified facts and conventional ''wisdom'' that emerged at the start of the transition in the early 1990s.
Economic Change and Restructuring (formerly ''Economics of Planning''), by keeping abreast of developments affecting both transitional and emerging economies, is aimed to attract original empirical and policy analysis contributions that are focused on various issues, including macroeconomic analysis, fiscal issues, finance and banking, industrial and trade development, and regional and local development issues.
The journal aspires to publish cutting edge research and to serve as a forum for economists and policymakers working in these fields.Officially cited as: Econ Change Restruct
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