In this paper we assess the role of reallocation of resources -- through shifts in market shares among incumbents as well as through firm entry and exit – to productivity. We are motivated by the evidence in all countries studied of heterogeneity of firms and substantial mobility of factors of production across firms in each market. However, recent studies have raised questions about the theoretical underpinnings of the connection between reallocation and productivity (e.g. Levinsohn and Petrin, 2005). Indeed, following Hulten (1978), it can be shown that under the hypotheses of continuous differentiability of the social production possibilities frontier and marginal rates of transformation reflecting the ratio of marginal products of resources of the various producers at all times, instantaneous aggregate productivity growth reflects only within-firm growth. We show that these assumptions rule out a meaningful role for reallocation and within sector dispersion of productivity. Both of the latter arise in models where frictions yield departures from these assumptions. Using a harmonized firm-level database covering 24 industrial, transition and developing countries, we look at the magnitude and characteristics of firm heterogeneity and reallocation. First, we observe large churning of firms in all sectors, countries and years. New firms tend to be significantly different form the average incumbents and experience different growth patterns if they survive the market selection. Further, we find evidence of a wide distribution of firm-level productivity, even among producers of homogeneous goods, which is prima facie evidence that frictions are preventing resources from being instantaneously allocated to their best use. There are considerable policy implications of this heterogeneity of productivity and the importance of reallocation of resources. The breakdown of the assumptions used by Hulten point towards information costs and transactions costs. Adjustment of the economy to changes in supply conditions are costly and take time in economies subject to frictions. Further, policy may affect the costs of various paths of reallocation as well. The paper is organized as a list of questions and answers concerning reallocation and productivity growth. For each question, some theoretical considerations are provided, followed by empirical evidence obtained from harmonized firm-level data. In analysing the data, we frequently use a difference in difference approach, exploiting the sectoral and size dimensions of the data. Further, major shocks and policy reforms during the transition to a market economy in Central and Eastern European countries allows us to assess the role of market forces in driving changes in allocation of resources and ultimately in productivity.
Download Info
To our knowledge, this item is not available for
download. To find whether it is available, there are three
options:
1. Check below under "Related research" whether another version of this item is available online.
2. Check on the provider's web page
whether it is in fact available.
3. Perform a search for a similarly titled item that would be
available.
Publisher Info
Paper provided by Society for Economic Dynamics in its series 2006 Meeting Papers with number
293.
Length: Date of creation: 03 Dec 2006 Date of revision: Handle: RePEc:red:sed006:293
Contact details of provider: Postal: Society for Economic Dynamics Anne Stubing CV Starr Center for Applied Economics 269 Mercer Street, Room 303 New York University New York, NY 10003 Fax: 1-860-486-4463 Email: Web page: http://www.EconomicDynamics.org/society.htm More information through EDIRC
For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Christian Zimmermann).
Find related papers by JEL classification: E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomics: Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
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.)
Did you know? Each page is provided with a technical contact, in case something is not right with the supplied information. See under "publisher info".