VERTICAL INDUSTRY RELATIONS, SPILLOVERS, AND PRODUCTIVITY: EVIDENCE FROM CHILEAN PLANTS

We use disaggregated data on Chilean plants, and the Chilean input-output table to examine the impact of agglomeration spillovers on total factor productivity (TFP). In common with previous studies, we find evidence for intraindustry spillovers, but none for general cross-industry spillovers. This picture changes when we take vertical industry relations into account. There are important productivity spillovers from plants in upstream industries. Interestingly, a similar effect cannot be found from plants in downstream industries. The number of plants in these sectors has no effect on plant-level TFP, just as the number of plants in other industries that are neither important upstream suppliers nor downstream customers also has no effect.