|
|
Impact of zombie firms on the weak post-crisis growth of the Slovak Republic
Bosák, Martin ; Pleticha, Petr (advisor) ; Kočenda, Evžen (referee)
According to the Convergence Analysis of Slovakia from 2017, the current subject of Slovak economic growth and convergence is the slow growth in productivity as relative productivity of Slovakia to the EU average was decreasing in the period from 2014 to 2017. Moreover, it shows that Slovakia is one of the countries with low efficiency of using labour and capital, which means that there is an occurrence of misallocation of resources. A significant role in this downturn according to recent literature might be the occurrence of zombie firms, which are old companies that do not have sufficient profitability to cover their interest expenses for a longer period. This thesis examines zombie firms and their significance in stifling productivity performance. Using a rich firm-level dataset for Slovakia, we research the determinants of zombie companies in Slovakia. Controlling for cyclical effects, this thesis reveals that zombie enterprises over the period from 2003 to 2013 were significantly less productive compared to their healthy competitors. In addition, we find out that occurrence of zombie companies curbs the growth of healthy companies and has a negative impact on the economic output overall. These results are raising several issues for public policy as it needs to mitigate this cause of...
|
|
|
Impact of zombie firms on the weak post-crisis growth of the Slovak Republic
Bosák, Martin ; Pleticha, Petr (advisor) ; Teplý, Petr (referee)
Productivity growth is diminishing among OECD countries, coupled with increased differences in productivity development among enterprises and misallocation of resources. A recent literature focuses on the role of zombie firms, defined as old firms that have persistent problems meeting their interest payments, to explain these developments. This thesis examines the extent to which zombie firms are stifling labour productivity performance. Using a rich firm-level dataset for Slovakia, we assess the role of zombies on firm dynamics. We confirm the results that prevalence of zombie firms curbs the growth of healthy firms and thus dragging aggregate productivity down. Controlling for cyclical effects, our analysis shows that zombie firms over the period 2003-2013 are significantly less productive within industries than their healthy counterparts. Furthermore, a higher share of industry capital or employment sunk in zombie firms is associated with lower labour productivity, investment and employment growth of the typical non-zombie firm, which results in less productivity-enhancing capital reallocation. These results highlight the role of public policy in addressing prevalence of zombie firms, fostering a more efficient resource allocation and enabling productivity growth.
|
guest ::
