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Declining Business Dynamism

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  • Gert Bijnens
  • Joep Konings

Abstract

We build on Decker et al. (2016) who show that business dynamism and entrepreneurship in the U.S. have declined over recent decades and that the characteristics of this decline changed around 2000. Since 2000 the U.S. decline in dynamism has been accompanied by a decline in high-growth, young firms. Using 30 years of data from all for-profit firms incorporated in Belgium, we now offer evidence that Belgium, a far more rigid economy than the U.S., experienced a similar decline in dynamism. Furthermore, the decline set in around 2000 as well. We attribute this not only to the declining share of young firms that become high-growth firms, but more importantly also to the declining propensity for small (not necessarily young) firms to experience fast growth. We do not yet know what caused this decline. Since there are remarkable similarities between Belgium and the U.S. with respect to the secular decline in business dynamism, global trends rather than country specific changes are most likely to be at the basis of this evolution. A possible global trend causing dynamism to decline, is the ICT revolution that started the second half of the ’90s. We find preliminary indications that industries with higher ICT intensity have experienced a dynamism trend change during that same period and show a steeper dynamism decline.

Suggested Citation

  • Gert Bijnens & Joep Konings, 2018. "Declining Business Dynamism," Working Papers of Department of Economics, Leuven 614199, KU Leuven, Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), Department of Economics, Leuven.
    • Handle: RePEc:ete:ceswps:614199
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    6. Filip Abraham & Yannick Bormans & Jozef Konings & Werner Roeger, 2020. "Price-cost margins and fixed costs," Working Papers 202010, University of Liverpool, Department of Economics.
    7. Joze Damijan & Jozef Konings & Aigerim Yergabulova, 2020. "Increasing market power in Slovenia: Role of diverging trends between exporters and non‐exporters," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(5), pages 1327-1345, May.
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    9. Yang Ming & Heng-fu Zou, 2024. "The Spirit of Capitalism, Entrepreneurship, and Talent Allocation," Annals of Economics and Finance, Society for AEF, vol. 25(1), pages 1-29, May.
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    11. Ye Zhu & Minggui Sun, 2023. "Entrepreneurs’ Perception of Business Environments and Innovation Based on Warm Impressions and Competence Impressions with the Stereotype Content Model (SCM)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-17, June.
    12. Xiaoyang Zhu, 2023. "Financial development and declining market dynamics: Another dark side of “too much finance”?," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 65(1), pages 275-309, July.
    13. Akcigit, Ufuk & Akgunduz, Yusuf Emre & Cilasun, Seyit Mumin & Ozcan-Tok, Elif & Yilmaz, Fatih, 2020. "Facts on business dynamism in Turkey," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    14. Alex Coad & Martin Andersson & Magnus Henrekson & Sarah Jack & Mikael Stenkula & Karin Thorburn & Karl Wennberg & Ivo Zander, 2022. "John Haltiwanger: recipient of the 2020 Global Award for Entrepreneurship Research," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 58(1), pages 15-25, January.
    15. Naudé, Wim & Nagler, Paula, 2021. "The Rise and Fall of German Innovation," IZA Discussion Papers 14154, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    16. Naudé, Wim, 2020. "From the Entrepreneurial to the Ossified Economy: Evidence, Explanations and a New Perspective," GLO Discussion Paper Series 539, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    17. Emannuel Dhyne & Joep Konings & Joep Konings & Stijn Vanormelingen,, 2018. "IT and productivity: A firm level analysis," Working Paper Research 346, National Bank of Belgium.
    18. Naudé, Wim, 2019. "The decline in entrepreneurship in the West: Is complexity ossifying the economy?," MERIT Working Papers 2019-030, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    19. Daan Freeman & Leon Bettendorf & Harro van Heuvelen & Gerdien Meijerink, 2021. "The contribution of business dynamics to productivity growth in the Netherlands," CPB Discussion Paper 427, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    20. Naudé, Wim, 2023. "We Already Live in a Degrowth World, and We Do Not like It," IZA Discussion Papers 16191, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    21. Heyman, Fredrik & Norbäck, Pehr-Johan & Persson, Lars & Andersson, Fredrik, 2019. "Has the Swedish business sector become more entrepreneurial than the US business sector?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(7), pages 1809-1822.
    22. Omer Majeed & Antonio Balaguer & David Hansell & Luke Hendrickson & Abasi Latcham & Tessa Satherley, 2021. "What Drives High Growth? Characteristics of Australian Firms," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 97(318), pages 350-364, September.
    23. Jeroen Van den bosch & Stijn Vanormelingen, 2023. "Productivity growth over the business cycle: cleansing effects of recessions," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 60(2), pages 639-657, February.

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