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The Shrinking Hand: Why Information Technology Leads to Smaller Firms

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  • Jean-Jacques Rosa
  • Julien Hanoteau

Abstract

We explain the firm downsizing trend of the recent decades by the new abundance of information -- the ICT revolution. Production processes differ in their information requirements: while decentralized production by means of market exchanges is information intensive, less information per unit of output is needed in the hierarchically integrated production of firms, and the information/output ratio is decreasing firm size. We formulate a quantity of information theory of the firm embodying these differences and derive a Coase--Rybczinski effect for the aggregate economy, which predicts a decreasing employment share of large firms and an increasing share of small ones when the aggregate quantity of information increases Panel data regressions and other evidence provide support for this hypothesis.

Suggested Citation

  • Jean-Jacques Rosa & Julien Hanoteau, 2012. "The Shrinking Hand: Why Information Technology Leads to Smaller Firms," International Journal of the Economics of Business, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(2), pages 285-314, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:ijecbs:v:19:y:2012:i:2:p:285-314
    DOI: 10.1080/13571516.2012.684931
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Julien Hanoteau & Jean‐Jacques Rosa, 2019. "Information technologies and entrepreneurship," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 40(2), pages 200-212, March.
    2. Hannah Bensussan, 2023. "Understanding the paradox of control and freedom of consumption under digital capitalism with Stafford Beer's cybernetic theory," CEPN Working Papers hal-04050331, HAL.
    3. Martin Campbell-Kelly & Daniel D. Garcia-Swartz & Dhiren Patki, 2012. "Information Technology and Establishment Size in America: Rybczynski Redivivus☆," International Journal of the Economics of Business, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(2), pages 337-357, July.

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