But potential exists even in some of the lower-productivity services. The existence of productivity gaps between low- and high-income countries in the productivity of low-skill services (highlighted in chapter 1) provides some hope that a productivity catch-up is possible. The next chapters will look more deeply at the potential contribution of digital technologies to productivity and jobs and at the role of services firms as upstream enablers and downstream complements of the activities to which they are linked. Finally, as chapters 3 and 4 will explore, the growing importance of digital technologies can increase opportunities for scale and innovation among low-skill services, while increased linkages of the global innovator services with other sectors can spread the productivity benefits more widely.
Annex 2A Data Sources The firm-level analysis conducted in this chapter relies on firm-level data from 20 lowand middle-income countries (table 2A.1) as well as additional aggregated data from statistical sources—covering 56 countries in total across all income groups. Only in 11 countries were panel data available (of which two countries, South Africa and Turkey, allowed access to the data only in a secured data room). TABLE 2A.1 Overview of Firm-Level Data Country or territory
Year
Number of firms
Source
Description
Firm-level data sources Bangladesh
2013
3,336,726
Census
Establishment-level; includes informal enterprises; no capital information available
Cabo Verde
2014
9,185
Census
Establishment-level; no capital information available
Cambodia
2011
505,134
Census
Establishment-level; includes informal enterprises; no capital information available
Côte d’Ivoire
2003–12 (panel)
60,558
Census
Firm-level
El Salvador
2006–17 (panel)
150,406
Census
Establishment-level; no capital information available
Kazakhstan
2009–19 (panel)
72,689
Financial data
Establishment-level
Kosovo
2005–14 (panel)
177,736
Business registry
Firm-level; no capital information available
Moldova
2003–14 (panel)
288,188
Financial data
Establishment-level
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At Your Service? The Promise of Services-Led Development
