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Achieving Scale Collectively

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  • Bassi, Vittorio
  • Muoio, Raffaela
  • Porzio, Tommaso
  • Sen, Ritwika
  • Tugume, Esau

Abstract

Technology is often embodied in expensive and indivisible capital goods. As a result, the small scale of firms in developing countries could hinder investment and productivity. This paper argues that market interactions between small firms can alleviate this concern. We design and implement a survey of manufacturing firms in Uganda, which uncovers an active rental market for large machines among small firms. We then build an equilibrium model of firm behavior and estimate it with our data. The model shows that the rental market is quantitatively important for mechanization and productivity since it mitigates imperfections in other markets. The estimated transaction costs in the rental market are relatively small, which motivates us to redefine firm boundaries as a group of workers sharing the same machines. Doing so, the average firm size in our data increases by 77%. We conclude that through the rental market small firms achieve scale collectively.

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  • Bassi, Vittorio & Muoio, Raffaela & Porzio, Tommaso & Sen, Ritwika & Tugume, Esau, 2020. "Achieving Scale Collectively," CEPR Discussion Papers 15134, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
  • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:15134
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    Cited by:

    1. Livia Alfonsi & Oriana Bandiera & Vittorio Bassi & Robin Burgess & Imran Rasul & Munshi Sulaiman & Anna Vitali, 2020. "Tackling Youth Unemployment: Evidence From a Labor Market Experiment in Uganda," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 88(6), pages 2369-2414, November.
    2. Dennis Egger & Johannes Haushofer & Edward Miguel & Paul Niehaus & Michael Walker, 2022. "General Equilibrium Effects of Cash Transfers: Experimental Evidence From Kenya," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 90(6), pages 2603-2643, November.
    3. Vittorio Bassi & Aisha Nansamba, 2022. "Screening and Signalling Non-Cognitive Skills: Experimental Evidence from Uganda," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 132(642), pages 471-511.
    4. Macchiavello, Rocco & Morjaria, Ameet, 2022. "Acquisitions, management and efficiency in Rwanda's coffee industry," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 117978, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Technology adoption; Capital indivisibility; Firm clusters; Rental market; Firm size distribution;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E0 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General
    • O1 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development

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