

Do subsidies drive productivity? Farm-level evidence from the Russian Far East
https://doi.org/10.32609/0042-8736-2022-2-120-146
Abstract
Do subsidies drive productivity at the farm-level? To address this question, we use farm-level data from the Amur region in Russia for 2010—2014. Using this data, we assess corporate farm production function and find no economically or statistically significant cumulative effect of state subsidies on total factor productivity within three years after the subsides were received. Our findings are robust to the choice of the production functional form, time period, and land measures. So one might conclude that subsidies to corporate farms in Amur Oblast serve primarily as a tool of income support not as a driver of the productivity change. Our research contributes to the discussion about the effects of state supports and subsidies on agricultural development, productivity, and market structure in Russia.
Keywords
JEL: D24, Q12, Q18, L22
About the Authors
O. G. VasilyevaRussian Federation
Olga G. Vasilyeva
Blagoveshchensk
A. M. Bilko
Russian Federation
Andrey M. Bilko
Blagoveshchensk
References
1. Amurstat (2016). Amur statistical yearbook 2016. Blagoveshchensk. (In Russian).
2. Bessonova E. V. (2007). An estimation of the production efficiency of russian industrial firms. Applied Econometrics, No. 2, pp. 13—35. (In Russian).
3. Bessonova E. V. (2018). Analysis of Russian firms’ TFP growth in 2009—2015. Voprosy Ekonomiki, No. 7, рр. 96—118. (In Russian). https://doi.org/10.32609/0042-8736-2018-7-96-118
4. Bessonov V. A., Voskoboynikov I. B. (2006). On dynamics of fixed capital and investments in the Russian economy in transition. HSE Economic Journal, Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 193—228. (In Russian).
5. Bilko A. M. (2017). Agriculture of the Amur region: Analysis of the main development trends. Far Eastern Agrarian Bulletin, No. 3, pp. 213—222. (In Russian).
6. Bilko A. M. (2018). Features of agricultural exports in the Amur region. In: O. M. Prokapalo (ed.). Scientific notes. Issue 12: The Far East of Russia: Economic, social, infrastructure development factors. Khabarovsk: Economic Research Institute FEB RAS, pp. 12—20. (In Russian).
7. Bilko A. M. (2019). Approaches to assessing state support for agriculture at the national and subnational levels. In: O. M. Prokapalo (ed.). Scientific notes. Issue 16: Far East of Russia: Territorial and industrial proportions development. Khabarovsk: Economic Research Institute FEB RAS, pp. 5—20. (In Russian).
8. Bilko A. M. (2020). Features of state support for the agricultural sector of the Amur region. In: O. M. Prokapalo (ed.). Scientific notes. Issue 19: Economic mechanisms of territorial industry interactions. Khabarovsk: Economic Research Institute FEB RAS, pp. 5—31. (In Russian).
9. Bilko A. M. (2018). Features of the agricultural market of the Amur region. In: O. M. Prokapalo (ed.). Scientific notes. Issue 11: Production factors in the context of regional studies. Khabarovsk: Economic Research Institute FEB RAS, pp. 6—22. (In Russian).
10. Vasilyeva O. G., Bilko A. M. (2016). Evaluation of the scale effect in agriculture of the Amur region. Spatial Economics, No. 2, pp. 104—122. (In Russian). https://doi.org/10.14530/se.2016.2.104-122
11. Vasilyeva O. G., Bilko A. M. (2017). Farm productivity and agroholdings membership: Farm-level evidence from the Russian Far East. Voprosy Ekonomiki, No. 8, pp. 104—120. (In Russian). https://doi.org/10.32609/0042-8736-2017-8-104-120
12. Makhinov A. N., Kim V. I., Voronov B. A. (2014). Flooding in the Amur basin in 2013: Causes and consequences. Vestnik of Far Eastern Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, No. 2, pp. 5—14. (In Russian).
13. Serova E. V. (2000). Russian agrarian reform in public opinion. Universe of Russia. Sociology. Ethnology, Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 96—115. (In Russian).
14. Serova E., Karlova N., Tikhonova T., Khramova I., Shik O. (2004). Russia’s agrarian policy: Reform prospects. Moscow: IEP. (In Russian).
15. Tikhonchuk P. V. (ed.) (2016). Farming system of the Amur region: Production and practical handbook. Blagoveshchensk: Far Eastern State Agrarian University. (In Russian).
16. Uzun V. Y., Gataulina E. A., Saraikin V. A., Karlova N. A. (2014). Methods of assessing the impact of agricultural policies on agricultural development. Moscow: RANEPA. (In Russian).
17. Uzun V. Y., Shagaida N. I. (2015). Mechanisms and results of agrarian reform in post-Soviet Russia. Moscow: Delo. (In Russian).
18. Ackerberg D., Caves K., Frazer G. (2006). Structural identification of production functions. MPRA Paper, No. 38349, University Library of Munich, Germany.
19. Adamopoulos T., Restuccia D. (2014). The size distribution of farms and international productivity differences. American Economic Review, Vol. 104, No. 6, pp. 1667—1697. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.104.6.1667
20. Alston J., James J. (2002). The incidence of agricultural policy. In: B. L. Gardner, G. C. Rausser (eds.). Handbook of agricultural economics, Vol. 2, Part B. Amsterdam: North Holland, pp. 1689—1749. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1574-0072(02)10020-X
21. Bartelsman E. J., Doms M. (2000). Understanding productivity: Lessons from longitudinal microdata. Journal of Economic Literature, Vol. 38, No. 3, pp. 569—594. https://doi.org/10.1257/jel.38.3.569
22. Bezlepkina I., Lansink A., Oskam A. (2005). Effects of subsidies in Russian dairy farming. Agricultural Economics, Vol. 33, No. 3, pp. 277—288. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-0864.2005.00067.x
23. Bezlepkina I., Lansink A. O. (2006). Impact of debts and subsidies on agricultural production: Farm-data evidence. Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture, Vol. 45, No. 1, pp. 7—34.
24. Blundell R., Bond S. (2000). GMM estimation with persistent panel data: An application to production functions. Econometric Reviews, Vol. 19, No. 3, pp. 321—340. https://doi.org/10.1080/07474930008800475
25. Bojnec Š., Latruffe L. (2013). Farm size, agricultural subsidies and farm performance in Slovenia. Land Use Policy, Vol. 32, pp. 207—217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2012.09.016
26. Bostian A. J., Bostian M., Laukkanen M., Simola A. (2018). Assessing the productivity consequences of agri-environmental practices when adoption is endogenous. VATT Institute for Economic Research Working Papers, Vol. 112. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3303124
27. Bulte E. H., Damania R., Lopez R. (2007). On the gains of committing to inefficiency: Сorruption, deforestation and low land productivity in Latin America. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Vol. 54, No. 3, pp. 277—295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeem.2007.05.002
28. Cerda R., Vergara R. (2008). Government subsidies and presidential election outcomes: Еvidence for a developing country. World Development, Vol. 36, No. 11, pp. 2470—2488. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2007.10.019
29. Ciaian P., Swinnen J. (2009). Credit market imperfections and the distribution of policy rents. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 91, No. 3, pp. 1124—1139. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8276.2009.01311.x
30. Coelli T., Perelman S., Van Lierde D. (2006). CAP reforms and total factor productivity growth in Belgian agriculture: А Malmquist index approach. 2006 Annual Meeting, August 12—18, Queensland, Australia, International Association of Agricultural Economists. No. 1004-2016-78522.
31. Comin D. (2010). Total factor productivity. In: S. N. Durlauf, L. E. Blume (eds.). Economic Growth. The New Palgrave Economics Collection. London: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 260—263. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230280823_32
32. Debertin D. L. (2012). Agricultural production economics. 2nd ed. Amazon Createspace.
33. Del Gatto M., Di Liberto A., Petraglia C. (2011). Measuring productivity. Journal of Economic Surveys, Vol. 25, No. 35, pp. 952—1008. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6419.2009.00620.x
34. Dionne K. Y., Horowitz J. (2016). The political effects of agricultural subsidies in Africa: Evidence from Malawi. World Development, Vol. 87, pp. 215—226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2016.06.011
35. Eberhardt M., Helmers C. (2010). Untested assumptions and data slicing: A critical review of firm-level production function estimators. Economics Series Working Papers, No. 513. Department of Economics, University of Oxford.
36. Fan S., Chan-Kang C. (2005). Is small beautiful? Farm size, productivity, and poverty in Asian agriculture. Agricultural Еconomics, Vol. 32, No. s1, pp. 135—146. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0169-5150.2004.00019.x
37. Fang L., Lerner J., Wu C., Zhang Q. (2018). Corruption, government subsidies, and innovation: Evidence from China. NBER Working Papers, No. w25098. https://doi.org/10.3386/w25098
38. Frick F., Sauer J. (2018). Deregulation and productivity: Empirical evidence on dairy production. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 100, No. 1, pp. 354—378. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajae/aax074
39. Kazukauskas A., Newman C., Sauer J. (2014). The impact of decoupled subsidies on productivity in agriculture: А cross-country analysis using microdata. Agricultural Economics, Vol. 45, No. 3, pp. 327—336. https://doi.org/10.1111/agec.12068
40. Kleinhanß W., Murillo C., San Juan C., Sperlich S. (2007). Efficiency, subsidies, and environmental adaptation of animal farming under CAP. Agricultural Economics, Vol. 36, No. 3, pp. 49—65. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-0862.2007.00176.x
41. Kloss M. (2017). Factor productivity in EU agriculture: A microeconometric perspective. Studies on the Agricultural and Food Sector in Transition Economies, Vol. 89. Halle (Saale): Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO).
42. Kornai J., Maskin E., Roland G. (2003). Understanding the soft budget constraint. Journal of Economic Literature, Vol. 41, No. 3, pp. 1095—1136. https://doi.org/10.1257/002205103771799999
43. Kvartiuk V., Herzfeld T. (2021). Redistributive politics in Russia: The political economy of agricultural subsidies. Comparative Economic Studies, Vol. 63, No. 1, pp. 1—30. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41294-020-00131-2
44. Latruffe L., Bravo-Ureta B. E., Moreira V. H., Desjeux Y., Dupraz P. (2011). Productivity and subsidies in European Union countries: An analysis for dairy farms using input distance frontiers. 2011 International Congress, August 30—September 2, Zurich, Switzerland, No. 114396, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
45. Latruffe L., Bravo-Ureta B. E., Carpentier A., Desjeux Y., Moreira V. H. (2017). Subsidies and technical efficiency in agriculture: Evidence from European dairy farms. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 99, No. 3, pp. 783—799. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajae/aaw077
46. Levinsohn J., Petrin A. (2003). Estimating production functions using inputs to control for unobservables. Review of Economic Studies, Vol. 70, No. 2, pp. 317—341. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-937X.00246
47. McCloud N., Kumbhakar S. (2008). Do subsidies drive productivity? A cross-country analysis of Nordic dairy farms. In: S. Chib, W. Griffiths, G. Koop, D. Terrell (eds.). Bayesian Econometrics. Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing Limited, pp. 245—274. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0731-9053(08)23008-2
48. Mary S. (2013). Assessing the impacts of pillar 1 and 2 subsidies on TFP in French crop farms. Journal of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 64, No. 10, pp. 133—144. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1477-9552.2012.00365.x
49. Mason N. M., Jayne T. S., Walle N. (2013). Fertilizer subsidies and voting patterns: Political economy dimensions of input subsidy programs. Paper prepared for presentation at the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association’s 2013 AAEA & CAES Joint Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, August 4—6.
50. Minviel J., Latruffe L. (2017). Effect of public subsidies on farm technical efficiency: A meta-analysis of empirical results. Applied Economics, Vol. 49, No. 2, pp. 213—226. https://doi.org/10.1080/00036846.2016.11949
51. Nilsson P. (2017). Productivity effects of CAP investment support: Evidence from Sweden using matched panel data. Land Use Policy, Vol. 66, pp. 172—182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2017.04.043
52. OECD (2001). Market effects of crop support measures. Paris: OECD Publishing.
53. Olley G. S., Pakes A. (1996). The dynamics of productivity in the telecommunications equipment industry. Econometrica, Vol. 64, No. 6, pp. 1263—1297. https://doi.org/10.2307/2171831
54. Petrick M., Kloss M. (2018). Identifying agricultural factor productivity from microdata: A review of approaches with an application to EU countries. German Journal of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 67, No. 2, pp. 67—79. https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.309975
55. Rada N. E., Fuglie K. O. (2019). New perspectives on farm size and productivity. Food Policy, Vol. 84, pp. 147—152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2018.03.015
56. Rizov M., Pokrivcak J., Ciaian P. (2013). CAP subsidies and productivity of the EU farms. Journal of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 64, No. 3, pp. 537—557. https:// doi.org/10.1111/1477-9552.12030
57. Sizov A. (2019). China’s switch to Russia’s soybeans no match for U.S. farmers. Successful Farming, November 20. https://www.agriculture.com/markets/your-world-inagriculture/chinas-switch-to-russias-soybeans-no-match-for-us-farmers
58. Schultz T. P., Strauss J. (eds.) (2008). Handbook of development economics, Vol. 4. Elsevier.
59. Sedik D., Trueblood M., Arnade C. (2000). Agricultural enterprise restructuring in Russia, 1991—95: A technical efficiency analysis. In: P. Wehrheim, K. Frohberg, E. Serova, J. von Braun (eds.). Russia’s agro-food sector. Boston, MA: Springer, pp. 495—512. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4531-6_22
60. Skuras D. et al. (2006). The effects of regional capital subsidies on productivity growth: A case study of the Greek food and beverage manufacturing industry. Journal of Regional Science, Vol. 46, No. 2, pp. 355—381. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0022-4146.2006.00445.x
61. Sokolov V., Solanko L. (2016). Political influence, firm performance and survival. BOFIT Discussion Paper, No. 20/2016. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2914041
62. Syverson C. (2011). What determines productivity? Journal of Economic Literature, Vol. 49, No. 2, pp. 326—365. https://doi.org/10.1257/jel.49.2.326
63. Tan Y., Guan J., Karimi H. (2013). The impact of the subsidy policy on total factor productivity: Аn empirical analysis of China’s cotton production. Mathematical Problems in Engineering, Vol. 2013, article 248537. https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/248537
64. Timmer C. (2002). Agriculture and economic development. Handbook of agricultural economics, Vol. 2, pp. 1487—1546. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1574-0072(02)10011-9
65. Van Beveren I. (2012). Total factor productivity estimation: A practical review. Journal of Economic Surveys, Vol. 26, No. 1, pp. 98—128. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6419.2010.00631.x
66. Van Biesebroeck J. (2007). Robustness of productivity estimates. Journal of Industrial Economics, Vol. 55, No. 3, pp. 529—569. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6451.2007.00322.x
Supplementary files
Review
For citations:
Vasilyeva O.G., Bilko A.M. Do subsidies drive productivity? Farm-level evidence from the Russian Far East. Voprosy Ekonomiki. 2022;(2):120-146. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.32609/0042-8736-2022-2-120-146