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Leverage and productivity

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  • Li, Huiyu

Abstract

This paper argues that earnings-based borrowing is important for understanding the extent to which financial frictions lower aggregate productivity (TFP). It builds a general equilibrium model of misallocation due to financial frictions wherein firms borrow by pledging assets and earnings. The model is disciplined to match evidence on aggregate leverage and on the firm-level relationship between leverage and the output-to-capital ratio. Conditional on aggregate leverage, the TFP loss from financial frictions shrinks with the pledgeability of earnings. Similarly, for a given difference in aggregate leverage between two countries, financial frictions may contribute significantly more to TFP differences when the poorer country has lower pledgeability of earnings.

Suggested Citation

  • Li, Huiyu, 2022. "Leverage and productivity," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:deveco:v:154:y:2022:i:c:s0304387821001188
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2021.102752
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Aggregate productivity; Misallocation; Financial frictions; Earnings-based borrowing;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity
    • E23 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Production
    • O16 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Financial Markets; Saving and Capital Investment; Corporate Finance and Governance
    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence

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