{ "title": "Public Administration Digitalisation and Microenterprise Productivity in India", "publication": "IMF Working Papers, May 1, 2026", "sourceUrl": "https://www.imf.org/en/publications/wp/issues/2026/04/30/public-administration-digitalisation-and-microenterprise-productivity-in-india-574837", "canonical": "https://www.imf.org/en/publications/wp/issues/2026/04/30/public-administration-digitalisation-and-microenterprise-productivity-in-india-574837", "overlayPath": "/en/publications/wp/issues/2026/04/30/public-administration-digitalisation-and-microenterprise-productivity-in-india-574837/index.md", "summary": "We find that public administration digitalisation, carried out state-by-state in India between 2010 and 2015, led to an improvement in micro-enterprise productivities, based on the Unincorporated Non-Agricultural Enterprises Surveys.", "sections": [ { "heading": "Summary findings", "content": "- Public administration digitalisation, carried out state-by-state in India between 2010 and 2015, led to an improvement in micro-enterprise productivities, based on the Unincorporated Non-Agricultural Enterprises Surveys.\n- Average firm-level productivities have risen in the states carrying out more digitalisation.\n- Productivity dispersions have become narrower in states with more digitalisation.\n- Digitalisation is categorised into six groups: tax filing and payments, construction permits, environment and labour regulations, inspections, commercial disputes, and single-window systems.\n- States are ranked according to the subsets of digitalisation carried out by them." }, { "heading": "Methodology", "content": "- Data source: Unincorporated Non-Agricultural Enterprises Surveys.\n- Empirical approach: difference-in-difference estimations with propensity score matching.\n- Treatment definition: states carrying out more digitalisation (as ranked by subsets implemented)." }, { "heading": "Digitalisation categories and state ranking", "content": "- Six categories used to characterise public administration digitalisation:\n - tax filing and payments\n - construction permits\n - environment and labour regulations\n - inspections\n - commercial disputes\n - single-window systems\n- States are ranked according to which subsets of the six digitalisation categories they implemented." }, { "heading": "Key results and interpretation", "content": "- The states that implemented more digitalisation experienced:\n - increases in average firm-level productivity.\n - reductions in productivity dispersion among micro-enterprises.\n- Results are reported for the period 2010–2015." }, { "heading": "Publication and document metadata", "content": "- Title: Public Administration Digitalisation and Microenterprise Productivity in India\n- Authors: Somnath Sharma, Kenichi Ueda\n- Publication date: May 1, 2026\n- Series: Working Paper No. 2026/086\n- Issue: 086\n- Volume: 2026\n- Pages: 36\n- DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9798229040952.001\n- Stock No: WPIEA2026086\n- ISBN: 9798229040952\n- ISSN: 1018-5941" }, { "heading": "Subjects and keywords", "content": "- Subjects: Business environment, Economic sectors, Fiscal governance, Fiscal policy, Manufacturing, Production, Productivity, Total factor productivity\n- Keywords: administration digitalisation, Asia and Pacific, Business environment, business environments reforms, Fiscal governance, IMF working papers, improvement in micro-enterprise productivity, Manufacturing, microenterprise productivity, Productivity, productivity dispersion, productivity dispersion public administration digitalisation, Productivity growth, propensity score matching, Total factor productivity\n\nAuthors: Somnath Sharma and Kenichi Ueda; May 1, 2026.\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/2026/04/30/public-administration-digitalisation-and-microenterprise-productivity-in-india-574837" } ], "bullets": [ "[Markdown version](/en/publications/wp/issues/2026/04/30/public-administration-digitalisation-and-microenterprise-productivity-in-india-574837/index.md)", "[Structured JSON version](/en/publications/wp/issues/2026/04/30/public-administration-digitalisation-and-microenterprise-productivity-in-india-574837/index.json)", "[Bundle manifest](/en/publications/wp/issues/2026/04/30/public-administration-digitalisation-and-microenterprise-productivity-in-india-574837/bundle-manifest.json)", "Authors: Somnath Sharma, Kenichi Ueda", "Published: May 1, 2026", "Series: IMF Working Papers", "DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9798229040952.001", "Public administration digitalisation, carried out state-by-state in India between 2010 and 2015, led to an improvement in micro-enterprise productivities, based on the Unincorporated Non-Agricultural Enterprises Surveys.", "Average firm-level productivities have risen in the states carrying out more digitalisation.", "Productivity dispersions have become narrower in states with more digitalisation.", "Digitalisation is categorised into six groups: tax filing and payments, construction permits, environment and labour regulations, inspections, commercial disputes, and single-window systems.", "States are ranked according to the subsets of digitalisation carried out by them.", "Data source: Unincorporated Non-Agricultural Enterprises Surveys.", "Empirical approach: difference-in-difference estimations with propensity score matching.", "Treatment definition: states carrying out more digitalisation (as ranked by subsets implemented).", "Six categories used to characterise public administration digitalisation:", "States are ranked according to which subsets of the six digitalisation categories they implemented.", "The states that implemented more digitalisation experienced:", "Results are reported for the period 2010–2015.", "Title: Public Administration Digitalisation and Microenterprise Productivity in India", "Authors: Somnath Sharma, Kenichi Ueda", "Publication date: May 1, 2026", "Series: Working Paper No. 2026/086", "Issue: 086", "Volume: 2026", "Pages: 36", "DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9798229040952.001", "Stock No: WPIEA2026086", "ISBN: 9798229040952", "ISSN: 1018-5941", "Subjects: Business environment, Economic sectors, Fiscal governance, Fiscal policy, Manufacturing, Production, Productivity, Total factor productivity", "Keywords: administration digitalisation, Asia and Pacific, Business environment, business environments reforms, Fiscal governance, IMF working papers, improvement in micro-enterprise productivity, Manufacturing, microenterprise productivity, Productivity, productivity dispersion, productivity dispersion public administration digitalisation, Productivity growth, propensity score matching, Total factor productivity", "**Working Paper**" ], "related": [ { "title": "Working Paper", "role": "paper", "sourceUrl": "https://www.imf.org/-/media/files/publications/wp/2026/english/wpiea2026086-source-pdf.pdf", "summary": { "path": "/-/media/files/publications/wp/2026/english/wpiea2026086-source-pdf.pdf.md", "mime": "text/markdown" }, "binary": { "path": "/-/media/files/publications/wp/2026/english/wpiea2026086-source-pdf.pdf", "mime": "application/pdf" } } ], "alternates": { "markdown": "/en/publications/wp/issues/2026/04/30/public-administration-digitalisation-and-microenterprise-productivity-in-india-574837/index.md", "json": "/en/publications/wp/issues/2026/04/30/public-administration-digitalisation-and-microenterprise-productivity-in-india-574837/index.json", "bundleManifest": "/en/publications/wp/issues/2026/04/30/public-administration-digitalisation-and-microenterprise-productivity-in-india-574837/bundle-manifest.json" }, "generatedAtUtc": "2026-09-17T03:19:46.837Z" }