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Resource Misallocation in European Firms: The Role of Constraints, Firm Characteristics, and Managerial Decisions

Author

Listed:
  • Yuriy Gorodnichenko
  • Debora Revoltella
  • Jan Svejnar
  • Christoph T. Weiss

Abstract

Using a new survey, we document high dispersion of marginal revenue products across firms in the European Union. To interpret this dispersion, we develop a highly portable framework to quantify gains from better allocation of resources. We demonstrate that apart from direct measures of distortions, firm characteristics, such as demographics, quality of inputs, utilization of resources, and dynamic adjustment of inputs, are predictors of the marginal revenue products of capital and labor. We emphasize that some firm characteristics may reflect compensating differentials rather than constraints and the effect of constraints on the dispersion of marginal products maybe smaller.

Suggested Citation

  • Yuriy Gorodnichenko & Debora Revoltella & Jan Svejnar & Christoph T. Weiss, 2026. "Resource Misallocation in European Firms: The Role of Constraints, Firm Characteristics, and Managerial Decisions," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 18(3), pages 413-454, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejmac:v:18:y:2026:i:3:p:413-54
    DOI: 10.1257/mac.20210220
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    Cited by:

    1. is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Shalini Mitra, 2018. "Persistent Misallocation and the Productivity Slowdown in EU," Working Papers 201812, University of Liverpool, Department of Economics.
    3. Maurice J.G. Bun & Jasper Winter, 2022. "Capital and labor misallocation in the Netherlands," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 57(1), pages 93-113, February.
    4. Tiziano Ropele & Yuriy Gorodnichenko & Olivier Coibion, 2024. "Inflation Expectations and Misallocation of Resources: Evidence from Italy," American Economic Review: Insights, American Economic Association, vol. 6(2), pages 246-261, June.
    5. Anyfantaki, Sofia & Caloghirou, Yannis & Dellis, Konstantinos & Karadimitropoulou, Aikaterini & Petroulakis, Filippos, 2024. "The need for an industrial policy for long-term growth," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 121983, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    6. Ranasinghe, Ashantha, 2024. "Misallocation across establishment gender," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(1), pages 183-206.
    7. Maurice Bun & Jasper de Winter, 2019. "Measuring trends and persistence in capital and labor misallocation," DNB Working Papers 639, Netherlands Central Bank, Research Department.
    8. Norbert Ernst & Nico Pintar & Richard Sellner, 2023. "Resource Misallocation and TFP Gap Development in Austria (Richard Sellner, Nico Pintar, Norbert Ernst)," Working Papers 246, Oesterreichische Nationalbank (Austrian Central Bank).
    9. Eric Gargan & Eoin Kenny & Cynthia O'Regan & Conor O'Toole, 2024. "A Cross Country Perspective on Irish Enterprise Investment: Do Fundamentals or Constraints Matter?," The Economic and Social Review, Economic and Social Studies, vol. 55(2), pages 173-215.
    10. Sofia Anyfantaki & Yannis Caloghirou & Konstantinos Dellis & Aikaterini Karadimitropoulou & Filippos Petroulakis, 2024. "The 2013 Cypriot Banking Crisis and Blame Attribution: survey evidence from the first application of a bail-in in the Eurozone," GreeSE – Hellenic Observatory Papers on Greece and Southeast Europe 193, Hellenic Observatory, LSE.
    11. Maurin, Laurent & Wolski, Marcin, 2021. "Aggregate productivity slowdown in Europe: New evidence from corporate balance sheets," EIB Working Papers 2021/04, European Investment Bank (EIB).

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D22 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Empirical Analysis
    • D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity
    • D25 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Intertemporal Firm Choice: Investment, Capacity, and Financing
    • E23 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Production
    • G31 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Capital Budgeting; Fixed Investment and Inventory Studies
    • L25 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Performance

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