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Achieving Scale Collectively

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  • Vittorio Bassi
  • Raffaela Muoio
  • Tommaso Porzio
  • Ritwika Sen
  • Esau Tugume

Abstract

This paper argues that rental market interactions allow small firms to increase their effective scale and mechanize production, even when each individual firm would be too small to invest in expensive machines. We conduct a novel survey of manufacturing firms in Uganda, which uncovers an active rental market for large machines between small firms in informal clusters. We then build an equilibrium model of firm behavior and estimate it with our data. Our results show that the rental market is quantitatively important for mechanization and productivity since it provides a workaround for other market imperfections that keep firms small. We also show that the rental market shapes the effectiveness of policies to foster mechanization, such as subsidies to purchase machines.

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  • Vittorio Bassi & Raffaela Muoio & Tommaso Porzio & Ritwika Sen & Esau Tugume, 2021. "Achieving Scale Collectively," NBER Working Papers 28928, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:28928
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    Cited by:

    1. Dennis Egger & Johannes Haushofer & Edward Miguel & Paul Niehaus & Michael Walker, 2022. "General Equilibrium Effects of Cash Transfers: Experimental Evidence From Kenya," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 90(6), pages 2603-2643, November.
    2. Livia Alfonsi & Oriana Bandiera & Vittorio Bassi & Robin Burgess & Imran Rasul & Munshi Sulaiman & Anna Vitali, 2020. "Tackling Youth Unemployment: Evidence From a Labor Market Experiment in Uganda," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 88(6), pages 2369-2414, November.
    3. Albanese, Mattia & Aliberti, Manfredi, 2024. "Workplace Training Unpacked: Labor Market Competition and Investment in General Skills," SocArXiv 4ugq5, Center for Open Science.
    4. Vittorio Bassi & Aisha Nansamba, 2022. "Screening and Signalling Non-Cognitive Skills: Experimental Evidence from Uganda," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 132(642), pages 471-511.
    5. Macchiavello, Rocco & Morjaria, Ameet, 2022. "Acquisitions, Management, and Efficiency in Rwanda's Coffee Industry," CEPR Discussion Papers 17434, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    6. Aggarwal, Shilpa & Jeong, Dahyeon & Kumar, Naresh & Park, David Sungho & Robinson, Jonathan & Spearot, Alan, 2024. "Shortening the path to productive investment: Evidence from input fairs and cash transfers in Malawi," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).

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    JEL classification:

    • E0 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General
    • O1 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development

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