{ "title": "Competition, Competitiveness and Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa", "publication": "IMF Working Papers, February 14, 2020", "sourceUrl": "https://www.imf.org/en/publications/wp/issues/2020/02/14/competition-competitiveness-and-growth-in-sub-saharan-africa-49019", "canonical": "https://www.imf.org/en/publications/wp/issues/2020/02/14/competition-competitiveness-and-growth-in-sub-saharan-africa-49019", "overlayPath": "/en/publications/wp/issues/2020/02/14/competition-competitiveness-and-growth-in-sub-saharan-africa-49019/index.md", "summary": "Does greater product market competition improve external competitiveness and growth? This paper examines this question by using country-and firm-level data for a sample of 39 sub-Saharan African countries over 2000–17, as well as other emerging market economies and developing countries, and finds th", "sections": [ { "heading": "Research question and data", "content": "- Research question: Does greater product market competition improve external competitiveness and growth?\n- Data: country- and firm-level data for a sample of 39 sub-Saharan African countries over 2000–17, as well as other emerging market economies and developing countries.\n- Authors: Reda Cherif, Sandesh Dhungana, Xiangming Fang, Jesus R Gonzalez-Garcia, Yuanchen Yang, Mustafa Yenice, Jung Eun Yoon.\n- Publication date: February 14, 2020.\n- Publication details:\n - Series: Working Paper No. 2020/030\n - Issue: 030\n - Pages: 48\n - DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9781513526379.001\n - ISBN: 9781513526379\n - ISSN: 1018-5941" }, { "heading": "Key empirical findings", "content": "- Growth and competitiveness\n - An improvement in domestic competition is associated with a signficant increase in real GDP per capita growth rate.\n - The growth effect is achieved mainly through an improvement in export competitiveness and productivity growth.\n- Prices\n - Price levels, including of essential items, are generally lowered with an increase in competition.\n- Firm-level effects\n - Greater competition—proxied through a decline in corporate market power—is associated with an increase in firms’ investment and the labor’s share in output.\n - These firm-level effects are more pronounced in the manufacturing sector and among domestic firms compared to foreign firms." }, { "heading": "Policy-relevant implications", "content": "- Enhancing domestic product market competition can be a channel to raise real GDP per capita growth, primarily via export competitiveness and productivity gains.\n- Policies that reduce corporate market power may increase firm investment and the labor share, supporting broader-based growth.\n- Competition-enhancing reforms may also help lower price levels for essential items, with potential distributional benefits." }, { "heading": "Thematic subjects and keywords", "content": "- Subject: Commodity markets, Competition, Emerging and frontier financial markets, Financial markets, Labor, Labor share, Production, Productivity\n- Keywords: Africa, Commodity markets, Competition, competition indicator, cost minimization problem, Emerging and frontier financial markets, enterprise data, firm Dynamics, firm markup, firm profitability, firm-level indicators, Global, Labor share, Market Power, Markups, Productivity, Sub-Saharan Africa, WP\n\nSource: IMF Working Paper \"Competition, Competitiveness and Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa\", February 14, 2020; Working Paper No. 2020/030.\n\n---\n\n Content in this bundle\n\n- Working Paper\n - Working Paper (Markdown version){rel=\"alternate\" type=\"text/markdown\"}\n - Working Paper (PDF){rel=\"external\" type=\"application/pdf\"}\n\n---\n\nSource: https://www.imf.org/en/publications/wp/issues/2020/02/14/competition-competitiveness-and-growth-in-sub-saharan-africa-49019" } ], "bullets": [ "[Markdown version](/en/publications/wp/issues/2020/02/14/competition-competitiveness-and-growth-in-sub-saharan-africa-49019/index.md)", "[Structured JSON version](/en/publications/wp/issues/2020/02/14/competition-competitiveness-and-growth-in-sub-saharan-africa-49019/index.json)", "[Bundle manifest](/en/publications/wp/issues/2020/02/14/competition-competitiveness-and-growth-in-sub-saharan-africa-49019/bundle-manifest.json)", "Authors: Reda Cherif, Sandesh Dhungana, Xiangming Fang, Jesus R Gonzalez-Garcia, Yuanchen Yang, Mustafa Yenice, Jung Eun Yoon", "Published: February 14, 2020", "Series: IMF Working Papers", "DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9781513526379.001", "Research question: Does greater product market competition improve external competitiveness and growth?", "Data: country- and firm-level data for a sample of 39 sub-Saharan African countries over 2000–17, as well as other emerging market economies and developing countries.", "Authors: Reda Cherif, Sandesh Dhungana, Xiangming Fang, Jesus R Gonzalez-Garcia, Yuanchen Yang, Mustafa Yenice, Jung Eun Yoon.", "Publication date: February 14, 2020.", "Publication details:", "Growth and competitiveness", "Prices", "Firm-level effects", "Enhancing domestic product market competition can be a channel to raise real GDP per capita growth, primarily via export competitiveness and productivity gains.", "Policies that reduce corporate market power may increase firm investment and the labor share, supporting broader-based growth.", "Competition-enhancing reforms may also help lower price levels for essential items, with potential distributional benefits.", "Subject: Commodity markets, Competition, Emerging and frontier financial markets, Financial markets, Labor, Labor share, Production, Productivity", "Keywords: Africa, Commodity markets, Competition, competition indicator, cost minimization problem, Emerging and frontier financial markets, enterprise data, firm Dynamics, firm markup, firm profitability, firm-level indicators, Global, Labor share, Market Power, Markups, Productivity, Sub-Saharan Africa, WP", "**Working Paper**" ], "related": [ { "title": "Working Paper", "role": "paper", "sourceUrl": "https://www.imf.org/-/media/files/publications/wp/2020/english/wpiea2020030-print-pdf.pdf", "summary": { "path": "/-/media/files/publications/wp/2020/english/wpiea2020030-print-pdf.pdf.md", "mime": "text/markdown" }, "binary": { "path": "/-/media/files/publications/wp/2020/english/wpiea2020030-print-pdf.pdf", "mime": "application/pdf" } } ], "alternates": { "markdown": "/en/publications/wp/issues/2020/02/14/competition-competitiveness-and-growth-in-sub-saharan-africa-49019/index.md", "json": "/en/publications/wp/issues/2020/02/14/competition-competitiveness-and-growth-in-sub-saharan-africa-49019/index.json", "bundleManifest": "/en/publications/wp/issues/2020/02/14/competition-competitiveness-and-growth-in-sub-saharan-africa-49019/bundle-manifest.json" }, "generatedAtUtc": "2026-09-18T16:40:20.884Z" }