This study explores the effects of government subsidies on company labour productivity in strategic emerging industries under conditions of market power in downstream and upstream markets. A sample of 1392 listed companies from emerging industries in China from 2006 to 2019 is used. Labour productivity will be lower in companies with high seller power. The positive effect of subsidies on labour productivity will be enhanced when firms possess higher seller power, whereas the positive effect of subsidies on labour productivity will be weakened when firms possess higher buyer power. Heterogeneity analysis shows that the role of market power is more evident for domestic enterprises compared to foreign investment companies. The mechanisms of picking winners based on government subsidies should take the effects brought by various degrees of market power into account.

We estimate the extent of the moderating effect of varying regional ownership structures on the relationship between the VAT reform and industrial upgrading in a panel differences-in-differences framework, using a natural experiment of the China’s 2004 value-added tax (VAT) reform pilot that introduces a permanent 17%-tax credit for fixed investment in six industries in the North-eastern regions. Results reveal that the VAT reform helps firms increase their capital-to-labor ratio, labor input, and labor productivity, indicating the positive effect of VAT reform on fixed asset renewal and industrial structure upgrading in the region. As for the role of regional ownership structure, the positive effects of the VAT reform on labor input and labor productivity are significantly suppressed in areas with large market shares of state-owned enterprises. In another words, the VAT reform significantly promotes industrial upgrading in areas with market-sensitive economies.