Productivity Comparison and Service Price Differences among Japanese Prefectures

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K03423
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Economic policy
• Research Institution: Shinshu University
• Principal Investigator: Tokui Joji 信州大学, 学術研究院社会科学系, 教授 (90192658)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 地域経済学 / 地域間生産性格差 / 地域間価格差 / 絶対的購買力平価

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We estimate service price divergence among prefectures in Japan and use it to recalculate productivity differentials. To estimate service price divergence among the regions in Japan, we use the Country-Product-Dummy (CPD) Method, which was originally proposed to estimate absolute purchasing power parity in the field of international economics. We apply this method to the raw price data of many service items that are surveyed in each prefecture by Japan’s Statistics Bureau. The service industries to which this method is applicable include construction, electricity, gas and water utilities, real estate, transport and communications, and other non-government services. As a result of recalculating productivity differentials reflecting the newly estimated service price divergence, we find some reduction of standard deviation of total factor productivity (TFP)-level differentials among the regions; in 2009 it diminishes by 13%.

Free Research Field

経済学・経済政策

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

地域間の生産性格差を正確に計測しその要因を探ることは、地域活性化のための適切な政策をデータに基づき論ずる上で基本となる。地域間の生産性格差計測において慎重な取り扱いが必要になる観点の一つが地域間価格差であり、なかでもサービス分野ではそれが必要である。本研究は、サービス分野の地域間価格差を計測する方法を提案し、実際にデータに当てはめて計測を行った結果、地域間生産性格差に無視できない修正が生じることを確認した。