Economic decisions such as occupational and entrepreneurial choices may violate true comparative advantage when economic agents are uncertain about which activity best matches their talents. If relative performance varies over the business cycle (for instance, if downturns affect disproportionately those who are pursuing the wrong activity), then economic fluctuations may affect the probability and persistence of resource mismatches. The present work offers a novel, informational perspective to the business cycle and provides a link between aggregate fluctuations and the long-term allocation of resources.
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Paper provided by C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers in its series CEPR Discussion Papers with number
4076.
Find related papers by JEL classification: D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search, Learning, and Information E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles E60 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - General
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