TY  - JOUR
AU  - Bernstein,Jeffrey I.
AU  - Nadiri,M. Ishaq
TI  - Production, Financial Structure and Productivity Growth in U.S. Manufacturing
JF  - National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series
VL  - No. 4309
PY  - 1993
Y2  - March 1993
UR  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w4309
L1  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w4309.pdf
N1  - Author contact info:
Jeffrey I. Bernstein
Department of Economics
University Park Campus
Florida International University
11200 S.W. 8th Street
Miami, FL 33199
Tel: 305/348-2592
E-Mail: jeffrey.bernstein@fiu.edu

M. Ishaq Nadiri
Department of Economics
New York University
19 W. 4th Street, 6th Floor
New York, NY  10012
Tel: 212/998-8968
Fax: 212/995-4013
E-Mail: min1@nyu.edu
AB  - The purpose of this paper is to estimate a model that incorporates the effects of financial decisions on production, profitability, and productivity growth. Asymmetric information generates agency costs of debt and signaling benefits of dividends which then influence production decisions. The model is applied to the U.S. manufacturing sector. Agency costs and signaling benefits are measured by their effects on profitability. A one percent increase in debt reduces variable profit by 0.04 percent, while a one percent increase in dividends raises variable profit by 0.12 percent. Agency costs also limit the adjustment of U.S. manufacturing to long-run equilibrium. On average, for $1.00 of funds raised through bond issues, debt adjustment cost is about $0.05. The dynamic efficiency of the manufacturing sector is affected by financial considerations. Signaling benefits contribute 4.2 percent to total factor productivity growth, while agency costs reduce efficiency by 3.3 percent. Thus the financial effects on dynamic efficiency approximately offset each other.
ER  -