The Impact of Technical Efficiency on Productivity Growth: Evidence from the Korean Pharmaceutical Industry*

Abstract

This study examines the effects of technological capability, technological spillovers, and technological gap on firm-level productivity growth in the Korean pharmaceutical industry over the period 2000-2023. Utilizing the generalized true random effects (GTRE) stochastic frontier analysis, this article estimates technical efficiency to serve as a proxy for the technological gap. The results indicate that technological divergence is the primary driver of inter-firm productivity polarization, with limited evidence of technological spillovers from frontier firms to laggards. These findings support the low technological capability hypothesis over the Schumpeterian catch-up hypothesis, which posits convergence through innovation diffusion. The study further highlights that, even at the frontier, intra-firm technological diffusion can be sluggish under conditions of rapid technological change. It underscores the importance of intra-firm diffusion, characterized by distinct mechanisms from inter-firm diffusion, as a key determinant of productivity growth alongside inter-firm technological divergence.