Type of Document	Dissertation
Author	Grebner, Donald L. II
Author's Email Address	dgrebner@usit.net
URN	etd-6998-15445
Title	Analysis of Policy Reforms in the New Zealand Forest Manufacturing Sector
Degree	PhD
Department	Forestry
Advisory Committee	Advisor Name Title Amacher, Gregory S. Committee Chair Bigsby, Hugh Committee Member Cothren, Richard D. Committee Member Sullivan, Jay Committee Member Wisdom, Harold W. Committee Member
Keywords	Stochastic Frontier Cost Efficiency Deregulation Privatization Econometric Analysis New Zealand
Date of Defense	1998-04-10
Availability	unrestricted
Abstract New Zealand experienced dramatic restructuring programs after the Labor party won the national elections in 1984. Deregulation of price controls, removal of the log export ban, and privatization of public assets were the main shocks to the forest sector. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impacts of these reforms on wood and paper industry cost, production, and cost efficiency. Unlike previous work, the effects of privatization and deregulation are compared to determine which shock had the most influence on the forest sector. Results show that production decreased, total cost increased, and cost efficiency decreased after deregulation for the sector, and that deregulation was more significant than privatization for the wood and paper sectors. In particular, removal of the log export ban had the greatest impact, while privatization had little effect on industry production and cost. This suggests that countries with comparative advantages in wood processing who implement deregulation or privatization may suffer through a short term period of lower cost efficiency as the economy adjusts to higher input costs in those sectors. In New Zealand's case, the adjustments most likely affecting efficiency have been investments in new technologies, which require time to attain maximum efficiency. The results are contrary to other studies that have predicted increased efficiency as a result of privatization.
Files	Filename       Size       Approximate Download Time (Hours:Minutes:Seconds)     28.8 Modem   56K Modem   ISDN (64 Kb)   ISDN (128 Kb)   Higher-speed Access    etd.pdf 363.75 Kb 00:01:41 00:00:51 00:00:45 00:00:22 00:00:01

If you have questions or technical problems, please Contact DLA.