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General Methods for Measuring Factor Misallocation

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  • Thomas Schelkle

Abstract

The paper develops novel methods to measure the extend of factor misallocation. These rely on production functions being homogeneous, but not on specific parameterizations and partly not even on specific functional forms. This reduces the risk to incorrectly reject an efficient allocation. In an empirical application these general methods strongly reject an efficient capital and labor allocation across 473 six-digit U.S. manufacturing industries. Potential output gains of efficiently reallocating factors are between 22 and 64% of observed output. There is also evidence that misallocation increased substantially during the Great Recession with a sizeable contribution to the observed fall in manufacturing output.

Suggested Citation

  • Thomas Schelkle, 2016. "General Methods for Measuring Factor Misallocation," Working Paper Series in Economics 87, University of Cologne, Department of Economics.
  • Handle: RePEc:kls:series:0087
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Jose Asturias & Jack Rossbach, 2023. "Grouped Variation In Factor Shares: An Application To Misallocation," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 64(1), pages 325-360, February.
    2. Jose Asturias & Jack Rossbach, 2022. "Grouped Variation in Factor Shares: An Application to Misallocation," Working Papers 22-33, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Misallocation; factor allocation; test; bounds;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E23 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Production
    • D61 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Allocative Efficiency; Cost-Benefit Analysis
    • O11 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Macroeconomic Analyses of Economic Development

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