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Eventually, noise and imitation implies balanced growth

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  • Erzo G. J. Luttmer

Abstract

This paper adds imitation by incumbent firms, and not just by new entrants, to the model of selection and growth developed in Luttmer [2007]. Noisy firm-level innovation and imitation give rise to a long-run growth rate that exceeds the average rate at which individual firms innovate. It can be shown, in simple examples, that the economy converges to a long-run balanced growth path from compactly supported initial productivity distributions. The right tail of the stationary distribution of de-trended productivity is approximately Pareto. The tail index of this distribution depends on the rate at which incumbents are able to imitate only indirectly, through general equilibrium effects of this parameter on the equilibrium growth rate.

Suggested Citation

  • Erzo G. J. Luttmer, 2012. "Eventually, noise and imitation implies balanced growth," Working Papers 699, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
    • Handle: RePEc:fip:fedmwp:699
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. , & Lorenz, Jan & ,, 2016. "Innovation vs. imitation and the evolution of productivity distributions," Theoretical Economics, Econometric Society, vol. 11(3), September.
    2. Robert E. Lucas Jr. & Benjamin Moll, 2014. "Knowledge Growth and the Allocation of Time," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 122(1), pages 1-51.
    3. Satyajit Chatterjee & Esteban Rossi‐Hansberg, 2012. "Spinoffs And The Market For Ideas," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 53(1), pages 53-93, February.
    4. Jesse Perla & Christopher Tonetti, 2014. "Equilibrium Imitation and Growth," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 122(1), pages 52-76.
    5. Andrew Atkeson & Ariel Burstein, 2019. "Aggregate Implications of Innovation Policy," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 127(6), pages 2625-2683.
    6. Fernando E. Alvarez & Francisco J. Buera & Robert E. Lucas, Jr., 2008. "Models of Idea Flows," NBER Working Papers 14135, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Erzo G.J. Luttmer, 2010. "Models of Growth and Firm Heterogeneity," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 2(1), pages 547-576, September.
    8. Samuel S. Kortum, 1997. "Research, Patenting, and Technological Change," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 65(6), pages 1389-1420, November.
    9. Erzo G. J. Luttmer, 2011. "On the Mechanics of Firm Growth," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 78(3), pages 1042-1068.
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    Cited by:

    1. Jess Benhabib & 'Eric Brunet & Mildred Hager, 2020. "Innovation and imitation," Papers 2006.06315, arXiv.org, revised Aug 2020.
    2. Santiago Caicedo, 2019. "Note on Idea Diffusion Models with Cohort Structures," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 86(342), pages 396-408, April.
    3. Thomas Sampson, 2016. "Dynamic Selection: An Idea Flows Theory of Entry, Trade, and Growth," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 131(1), pages 315-380.
    4. Polterovich, Victor, 2017. "Теория Эндогенного Экономического Роста И Уравнения Математической Физики [The theory of endogenous economic growth and equations of mathematical physics]," MPRA Paper 78622, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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