Chinese private sector firms are twice more productive than state-owned firms

An OECD report “Fast-falling barriers and growing concentration” (pdf file) shows that Chinese private firms are twice more productive than state-owned firms.

This seems to be a very clear and common sense fact that shouldn’t need to be studied in the first place, but there are actually many people who still believe that state-owned firms, with proper restructuring and introduction of modern management expertise, can turn around, and do much better than private sector firms.

The favorite example they always cite is the higher profitability of giant state-owned firms listed in Hong Kong, particularly those in the energy and telecommunication sector, compared to low profit margin private sector firms in the consumer electronic industry. They are comparing apples with organs though. Even an idiot can run a very profitable state-owned firm in the energy sector: a monopoly can charge whatever price it wants and realizes any level of profitability it wants . Consumers are losing out and paying the bill though.

This OECD report sends a hard blow to people who still believe in the viability of state-owned firms. The report uses data from the government statistics bureau: if anything, it should have underestimated the productivity of private sector firms, for they always understate their revenue for tax purpose.

State-owned firms, go kill yourself, you are wasting everyone’s resources.