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Structural Change Within versus Across Firms: Evidence from the United States

Author

Listed:
  • Xiang Ding
  • Teresa C. Fort
  • Stephen J. Redding
  • Peter K. Schott

Abstract

We document the role of intangible capital in manufacturing firms' substantial contribution to non-manufacturing employment growth from 1977-2019. Exploiting data on firms' "auxiliary" establishments, we develop a novel measure of proprietary in-house knowledge and show that it is associated with increased growth and industry switching. We rationalize this reallocation in a model where firms combine physical and knowledge inputs as complements, and where producing the latter in-house confers a sector-neutral productivity advantage facilitating within-firm structural transformation. Consistent with the model, manufacturing firms with auxiliary employment pivot towards services in response to a plausibly exogenous decline in their physical input prices.

Suggested Citation

  • Xiang Ding & Teresa C. Fort & Stephen J. Redding & Peter K. Schott, 2022. "Structural Change Within versus Across Firms: Evidence from the United States," NBER Working Papers 30127, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:30127
    Note: DAE EFG IO ITI PR
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    JEL classification:

    • D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity
    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade
    • L16 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Industrial Organization and Macroeconomics; Macroeconomic Industrial Structure
    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence

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