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In the Wrong Hands: Complementarities, Resource Allocation, and TFP

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  • Simeon Alder

    (Department of Economics, University of Notre Dame)

Abstract

I explore mismatch between the attributes of projects and the managers that run them as a source of variation in aggregate output and total factor productivity(TFP). The model parameters are calibrated to match observations on the size distribution of U.S. manufacturing firms, the share and distribution of managerial compensation, and aggregate moments in the national accounts. Quantitatively, even minor deviations from efficient (assortative) matching can have sizeable effects on output and productivity. In addition, the gains associated with the dissolution of non-assortative project-manager pairs are of the same order ofmagnitude as those generated by the elimination of idiosyncratic distortions in Restuccia and Rogerson (2008) or Hsieh and Klenow (2009). “Cronyism”, where key managerial positions are allocated on the basis of political connections rather than talent, imposes a substantial burden on economic welfare and the model can reconcile the seemingly contradictory evidence from numerous case studies with recent contributions to the assignment literature.

Suggested Citation

  • Simeon Alder, 2010. "In the Wrong Hands: Complementarities, Resource Allocation, and TFP," Working Papers 018, University of Notre Dame, Department of Economics, revised Nov 2012.
    • Handle: RePEc:nod:wpaper:018
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    Cited by:

    1. Simeon D. Alder, 2016. "In the Wrong Hands: Complementarities, Resource Allocation, and TFP," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 8(1), pages 199-241, January.
    2. Manuel García‐Santana & Enrique Moral‐Benito & Josep Pijoan‐Mas & Roberto Ramos, 2020. "Growing Like Spain: 1995–2007," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 61(1), pages 383-416, February.
    3. Oriana Bandiera & Andrea Prat & Stephen Hansen & Raffaella Sadun, 2020. "CEO Behavior and Firm Performance," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 128(4), pages 1325-1369.
    4. Luca David Opromolla & Michele Dell'Era, 2018. "A General Equilibrium Theory of Occupational Choice under Optimistic Beliefs about Entrepreneurial Ability," Working Papers w201822, Banco de Portugal, Economics and Research Department.
    5. Jose Joaquin Lopez & Jesica Torres, 2020. "Size-dependent policies, talent misallocation, and the return to skill," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 38, pages 59-93, October.
    6. Laurence Ales & Antonio Andres Bellofatto & Jessie Jiaxu Wang, 2017. "Taxing Atlas: Executive Compensation, Firm Size and Their Impact on Optimal Top Income Tax Rates," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 26, pages 62-90, October.
    7. Jan Grobovšek, 2020. "Managerial Delegation, Law Enforcement, and Aggregate Productivity," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 87(5), pages 2256-2289.
    8. Nezih Guner & Andrii Parkhomenko & Gustavo Ventura, 2017. "Managers and Productivity Differences," Working Papers wp2018_1710, CEMFI.
    9. Nezih Guner & Andrii Parkhomenko & Gustavo Ventura, 2018. "Managers and Productivity Differences," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 29, pages 256-282, July.
    10. Simeon Alder, 2016. "A Tale of Two C(...)s: Competence and Complementarity," 2016 Meeting Papers 1583, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    11. Bang Dang Nguyen & Kasper Meisner Nielsen, 2014. "What Death Can Tell: Are Executives Paid for Their Contributions to Firm Value?," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 60(12), pages 2994-3010, December.
    12. Simeon Alder, 2018. "The Macroeconomics of Sorting and Turnover in a Dynamic Assignment Model\," 2018 Meeting Papers 1250, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    13. Nesma Ali & Boris Najman, 2019. "Cronyism, firms’ Productivity and Informal Competition in Egypt," Working Papers 1292, Economic Research Forum, revised 2019.
    14. Hansen, G.D. & Ohanian, L.E., 2016. "Neoclassical Models in Macroeconomics," Handbook of Macroeconomics, in: J. B. Taylor & Harald Uhlig (ed.), Handbook of Macroeconomics, edition 1, volume 2, chapter 0, pages 2043-2130, Elsevier.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Matching; Complementarity; Misallocation; TFP; Cronyism;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E13 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General Aggregative Models - - - Neoclassical
    • O11 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Macroeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • 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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