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On the Nature of Capital Adjustment Costs

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  • Russell W. Cooper
  • John C. Haltiwanger

Abstract

This paper studies the nature of capital adjustment at the plant-level. We use an indirect inference procedure to estimate the structural parameters of a rich specification of capital adjustment costs. In effect, the parameters are optimally chosen to reproduce the nonlinear relationship between investment and profitability that we uncover in the plant-level data. Our findings indicate that a model which mixes both convex and nonconvex adjustment costs with irreversibility fits the data best.

Suggested Citation

  • Russell W. Cooper & John C. Haltiwanger, 2000. "On the Nature of Capital Adjustment Costs," NBER Working Papers 7925, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:7925
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