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Idiosyncratic shocks and the role of nonconvexities in plant and aggregate investment dynamics

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Author Info
Aubhik Khan
Julia K. Thomas

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Abstract

We solve equilibrium models of lumpy investment wherein establishments face persistent shocks to common and plant-specific productivity. Nonconvex adjustment costs lead plants to pursue generalized (S,s) decision rules with respect to capital; as a result, their individual investments are lumpy. In partial equilibrium, this yields substantial skewness and kurtosis in aggregate investment, though with differences in plant-level productivity, these nonlinearities are far less pronounced. Moreover, nonconvex costs, like quadratic adjustment costs, greatly increase the persistence of aggregate investment rates, yielding a better match with the data. ; In general equilibrium, aggregate nonlinearities disappear, and investment rates are very persistent, regardless of capital adjustment costs. While the aggregate implications of lumpy investment change substantially in equilibrium, the inclusion of fixed costs or idiosyncratic shocks yields an average distribution of plant investment rates that, in contrast, is largely unaffected by market-clearing movements in real wages and interest rates. Nonetheless, we find that to understand the dynamics of plant-level investment requires general equilibrium analysis.

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Paper provided by Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia in its series Working Papers with number 04-15.

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Date of creation: 2004
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Handle: RePEc:fip:fedpwp:04-15

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Keywords: Investments Productivity

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References listed on IDEAS
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  3. repec:cup:macdyn:v:1:y:1997:i:2:p:387-422 is not listed on IDEAS
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  5. Julia K. Thomas, 2002. "Is Lumpy Investment Relevant for the Business Cycle?," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 110(3), pages 508-534, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  6. Nicholas Bloom, 2007. "The Impact of Uncertainty Shocks," NBER Working Papers 13385, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  18. Ricardo J. Caballero & Eduardo M. R. A. Engel & John C. Haltiwanger, 1995. "Plant-Level Adjustment and Aggregate Investment Dynamics," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 26(1995-2), pages 1-54. [Downloadable!]
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Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Ruediger Bachmann & Ricardo J. Caballero & Eduardo Engel, 2006. "Lumpy Investment in Dynamic General Equilibrium," Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers 1566, Cowles Foundation, Yale University. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Roberto M. Samaniego, 2008. "Entry, Exit and Investment-Specific Technical Change," PIER Working Paper Archive 08-013, Penn Institute for Economic Research, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania. [Downloadable!]
  3. Fang Yao, 2008. "Lumpy Labor Adjustment as a Propagation Mechanism of Business Cycles," SFB 649 Discussion Papers SFB649DP2008-022, Sonderforschungsbereich 649, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany. [Downloadable!]
  4. Francois Gourio, 2007. "Disasters and Recoveries: A Note on the Barro-Rietz Explanation of the Equity Premium Puzzle," Boston University - Department of Economics - Working Papers Series WP2007-007, Boston University - Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  5. Tommy Sveen & Lutz Weinke, 2005. "Is Lumpy Investment really Irrelevant for the Business Cycle?," Economics Working Papers 869, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  6. Ruediger Bachmann & Ricardo J. Caballero & Eduardo Engel, 2008. "Aggregate Implications of Lumpy Investment: New Evidence and a DSGE Model," Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers 1566R, Cowles Foundation, Yale University. [Downloadable!]
  7. Francisco Covas & Shigeru Fujita, 2007. "Private risk premium and aggregate uncertainty in the model of uninsurable investment risk," Working Papers 07-30, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. [Downloadable!]
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