Revisiting Quasi-Experimental Design in Ethiopian Manufacturing Systems: A Replication Study

This replication study revisits a quasi-experimental design previously used to evaluate manufacturing systems in Ethiopian plants, aiming to validate and enhance its methodological robustness. A rigorous replication involves re-applying the quasi-experimental design framework, incorporating contemporary statistical tools for robustness checks. Key to this approach is maintaining alignment with the original study's core assumptions while introducing minor methodological refinements for enhanced reliability. The analysis reveals a significant increase in adoption rates of advanced manufacturing technologies across various sectors in Ethiopia by 20% compared to initial estimates, highlighting the effectiveness of the quasi-experimental design framework when applied consistently. This replication underscores the robustness and applicability of the quasi-experimental design for evaluating technological adoption in Ethiopian manufacturing systems. The findings provide a more accurate baseline for future studies on similar themes. Future research should consider expanding the scope to include additional sectors within Ethiopia's manufacturing economy, thereby broadening the geographical and sectoral coverage of this methodological evaluation. The maintenance outcome was modelled as Yᵢₜ=β₀+β₁Xᵢₜ+uᵢ+εᵢₜ, with robustness checked using heteroskedasticity-consistent errors.