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Is Productivity Advantage of Cities Really Down To Shift, Dilation, and Truncation?

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Listed:
  • Vladislav Morozov
  • Andrea Sy

Abstract

Firms in denser areas are more productive, owing to agglomeration and selection. To disentangle these channels, Combes et al. (2012, ECTA) assume that total factor productivity (TFP) distributions in denser and less dense areas are identical up to shift, dilation, and truncation. Using Spanish firm-level data and methods robust to noisy TFP estimates, we find that TFP distributions are indeed statistically identical up to these parameters, validating such decompositions. Furthermore, shifts and dilations alone are sufficient to capture distributional differences, at least in Spain. This suggests that policymakers should focus on agglomeration policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Vladislav Morozov & Andrea Sy, 2026. "Is Productivity Advantage of Cities Really Down To Shift, Dilation, and Truncation?," Papers 2604.13188, arXiv.org, revised Jul 2026.
    • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:2604.13188
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Pierre‐Philippe Combes & Gilles Duranton & Laurent Gobillon & Diego Puga & Sébastien Roux, 2012. "The Productivity Advantages of Large Cities: Distinguishing Agglomeration From Firm Selection," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 80(6), pages 2543-2594, November.
    2. Geert Dhaene & Koen Jochmans, 2015. "Split-panel Jackknife Estimation of Fixed-effect Models," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 82(3), pages 991-1030.
    3. Gilles Duranton & Diego Puga, 2020. "The Economics of Urban Density," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 34(3), pages 3-26, Summer.
    4. repec:hal:pseose:hal-00812695 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Chang-Tai Hsieh & Peter J. Klenow, 2009. "Misallocation and Manufacturing TFP in China and India," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 124(4), pages 1403-1448.
    6. Geert Dhaene & Koen Jochmans, 2015. "Split-panel Jackknife Estimation of Fixed-effect Models," Review of Economic Studies, Oxford University Press, vol. 82(3), pages 991-1030.
    7. Daniel A. Ackerberg & Kevin Caves & Garth Frazer, 2015. "Identification Properties of Recent Production Function Estimators," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 83, pages 2411-2451, November.
    8. Şebnem Kalemli- Özcan & Bent E. Sørensen & Carolina Villegas-Sanchez & Vadym Volosovych & Sevcan Yeşiltaş, 2024. "How to Construct Nationally Representative Firm-Level Data from the Orbis Global Database: New Facts on SMEs and Aggregate Implications for Industry Concentration," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 16(2), pages 353-374, April.
    9. Jochmans, Koen & Weidner, Martin, 2024. "Inference On A Distribution From Noisy Draws," Econometric Theory, Cambridge University Press, vol. 40(1), pages 60-97, February.
    10. Melo, Patricia C. & Graham, Daniel J. & Noland, Robert B., 2009. "A meta-analysis of estimates of urban agglomeration economies," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(3), pages 332-342, May.
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